What does a Komodo dragon look like as a baby?
Female Komodo dragons lay up to 30 eggs, which they will guard for several months. Babies are greenish with yellow and black bands but become solid gray to reddish-brown as they age. Young dragons will stay in the trees until they are about eight months old to avoid predators, which include larger dragons.
How did Komodo dragons evolve?
In the past, researchers had suggested the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) developed from a smaller ancestor isolated on the Indonesian islands, evolving its large size as a response to lack of competition from other predators or as a specialist hunter of pygmy elephants known as Stegodon.
What do Komodo dragon babies eat?
Wild: Young hatchling dragons eat insects and small lizards. Medium sized dragons eat rats and birds. All begin eating carrion when they reach 3 feet (approximately 1 year). Large adult dragons eat goats, pigs, deer, and smaller komodo dragons.
Can a baby Komodo dragon kill you?
Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world’s largest lizard were not afraid — until the dragons started to attack. Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite. Komodo dragon attacks are still rare, experts note.
How has the Komodo dragon adapted?
Komodo dragons have adapted the ability to regulate their body temperatures. If they are cold they bask in the sun, whereas if they are warm they go into the shade to cool their bodies down. Komodo dragons can hear and see, but they use their tongue as their main sense.
Is Komodo dragon saliva poisonous?
Are Komodo dragon’s venomous? Recent research has shown that Komodo dragons are like other monitor lizards in that they secrete venomous proteins in their mouths. Therefore, their saliva is venomous to some degree. However, Komodo dragon venom is unlike cobra venom, which can kill prey in a matter of minutes.
How many offspring do Komodo dragons have?
Komodo dragons hatched for the first time outside of Indonesia in 1992 at the Smithsonian Zoo , according to a zoo fact sheet. The zoo reports that four clutches have hatched and 55 offspring are now living in more than 30 zoos around the world.
Is the Komodo dragon really a dragon?
Komodo dragon, (Varanus komodoensis), largest extant lizard species. The dragon is a monitor lizard of the family Varanidae.
Where do Komodo dragons breed?
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), also known as the Komodo monitor, is a species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang.