Komodo Dragon

I would like to introduce you to the extremely deadly animal called the komodo dragon.

Appearance:

Komodo dragons have 50 serrated teeth that help them tear their prey apart. Their teeth are 2.5cm long. They have armoured scales that protect their body and skin. Their claws are as sharp as their teeth. They have a long yellow tongue and a huge tail. They have very strong legs so they can lunge at their prey.

Diet:

Adult komodo dragons eat deer, other komodo dragons, water buffalo and some-times humans. In a zoo they get fed rodents, chicks and   rabbits. Baby komodo dragons eat small geckos, lizards and insects.

Size:

Adult komodo dragons  are 3m long and they weigh 150 kg. Baby    komodo dragons are 40 cm long.

Habitat:

They live on the lesser sunda Islands of Indonesia.

Life cycle:

These creatures can lay 20 to 25 eggs in September. The eggs are twice the size of a  chicken’s egg and each egg weighs 125g. The female komodo dragon takes  8 to 9 months to incubate her eggs. Most of the eggs fail to hatch, wild  boars and other komodo dragons may eat all of the eggs. Komodo dragons can live between 30 and 50 years.

Special features:

These animals can use their tongue as a nose. They sample the air for scents of other animals to hunt down. Their saliva has 57 bacteria that are highly poisonous. They can run at speeds of 18 kpm in short bursts. It takes 3 days to re grow-teeth.

I hope you have learnt heaps about this deadly creature called the komodo dragon.   

Anthony