Unravelling the origins of the Earth’s largest living lizard, the Komodo dragon, scientists have found that its ancestors bred with sand monitor lizards from Australia and southern New Guinea millions of years ago.Mar 3, 2021[1]
What Family Is The Komodo Dragon Related To?
Komodo dragon, (Varanus komodoensis), largest extant lizard species. The dragon is a monitor lizard of the family Varanidae. It occurs on Komodo Island and a few neighbouring islands of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia.[2]
Did Komodo Dragons Evolve From Megalania?
Megalania is thought to have had a similar ecology to the living Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). The youngest fossil remains of giant monitor lizards in Australia date to around 50,000 years ago. The first indigenous settlers of Australia might have encountered megalania, and been a factor in their extinction.[3]
Are Komodo Dragons Descended From Dinosaurs?
That said, it’s very likely that dinosaurs are close ancestors of Giant Komodo Dragons. Many scientists and palaeontologists believe that Giant Komodo Dragons evolved directly from dinosaurs, and there are many similarities in their DNA to support this.[4]
What Is The Closest Living Relative To The Komodo Dragon?
Megalania possibly shares a sister-taxon relationship with the modern Komodo Dragon, though its closest living relative is the Lace Monitor. Like these relatives, it’s likely Megalania was a venomous animal, and if that’s the case it’s the largest venomous vertebrate to ever live.[5]
What Is The Average Length Of A Komodo Dragon
The average size of a male Komodo dragon is 8 to 9 feet and about 200 lbs., according to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, but they can reach a whopping 10 feet (3 meters) in length. Females grow to 6 feet (1.8 m).Oct 17, 2014[6]
How Long Is A Full Size Komodo Dragon?
The lizard grows to 3 metres (10 feet) in total length and attains a weight of about 135 kg (about 300 pounds).[7]
Is A Komodo Dragon Bigger Than A Human?
Komodo Dragons’ Length
They reach a maximum length of “merely” 1.8 meters (6 feet). This is still well over the average height of a human man (1.71 meter or 5 feet 7.5 inches.)[8]
What Is The Largest Komodo Dragon Ever Recorded?
Komodo dragons—otherwise known as Komodo monitors—are the largest and heaviest lizards in the world, typically weighing around 154 pounds, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. The largest specimen ever recorded weighed a staggering 366 pounds and measured 10.3 feet in length.[9]
Which Is More Deadly Komodo Dragon Or Gila Monster
Both species are dangerous and should not be approached in the wild. Both have painful bites containing venom and can cause serious injury. However, these venomous bites differ greatly, and overall, the Komodo dragon is far more formidable than the Gila Monster.Apr 4, 2022[10]
Is A Komodo Dragon A Gila Monster?
The Gila monster is one of only small number of venomous lizards (including the Mexican beaded lizard, the Komodo dragon and some Australian species). Rather than injecting venom through hollow fangs like venomous snakes, Gilas have enlarged, grooved teeth in their lower jaw.[11]
Has A Gila Monster Ever Killed A Human?
The Gila monster is one of only a handful of venomous lizards in the world. Others include the similar-looking Mexican beaded lizards, as well as iguanas and monitor lizards. Its venom is a fairly mild neurotoxin. And though a Gila bite is extremely painful, none has resulted in a reported human death.[12]
What Lizard Is The Deadliest?
Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum )[13]
Is The Komodo Dragon The Most Venomous Animal In The World?
Using sophisticated medical imaging techniques, an international team led by Dr Bryan Fry from the University of Melbourne have revealed that the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) has the most complex venom glands yet described for any reptile, and that its close extinct relative Megalania was the largest venomous …[14]
How Much It Cost To Get A Komodo Dragon
According to wildlife officials in the United States, komodo dragons are being sold on the black market by wildlife traffickers. In a report by CBS News, when smugglers offer a komodo dragon for sale the price to buy the animal is reported to be $30,000.Mar 22, 2008[15]
How Much Is A Komodo Dragon Cost?
Indonesian police arrested members of a smuggling ring in 2019 and seized five Komodo dragons and other endangered animals being sold on Facebook, with a price tag of US$1,400 for each dragon.[16]
Can I Buy A Komodo Dragon?
Is It Legal to Own a Komodo Dragon? Since Komodo Dragons are an endangered species, it’s currently illegal to own one.[17]
Can A Komodo Dragon Be A Pet?
However there is one issue, Komodo dragons are an endangered and protected species. So no, it is illegal to own a Komodo Dragon as a pet. It’s also illegal to remove one of these lizards from their native habitat without express government approval.[18]
Do Any Zoos Have Komodo Dragons?
You can see them at zoos throughout the U.S., such as the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky, Toledo Zoo & Aquarium in Ohio, or Pittsburgh Zoo in Pennsylvania, which have recently reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.[19]
Which Is Larger, Iguana Vs Komodo Dragon
Komodo dragons are the biggest lizards on earth and weigh up to 150 KG, where the Iguana tops off at 30 pounds. The Komodo Dragon is the largest species of lizard found on Earth.May 11, 2022[20]
What Lizard Is Bigger Than A Komodo Dragon?
The perentie (Varanus giganteus) is the largest monitor lizard or goanna native to Australia. It is one of the largest living lizards on earth, after the Komodo dragon, Asian water monitor, crocodile monitor, and intersecting by size with Nile monitor.[21]
Is The Komodo Dragon The Largest Reptile?
The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard in the world. These wild dragons typically weigh about 154 pounds (70 kilograms), but the largest verified specimen reached a length of 10.3 feet (3.13 meters) and weighed 366 pounds (166 kilograms). Males tend to grow larger and bulkier than females.[22]
What Is The Biggest Size Of An Iguana?
The longest of the iguanas is the green iguana. It grows to between 5 and 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters) long from nose to tail. The smallest of the group is the spiny-tailed iguana, which grows to 4.9 to 39 inches (12.5 to 100 centimeters) long.[23]
What Animal Can Beat A Komodo Dragon?
The Honey Badger is among the fiercest, most fearless animals on the planet. It’s speed, mobility, aggression and fighting prowess would likely find a way to defeat the bigger, slower Komodo Dragon.[24]
What Do Komodo Dragon
Komodo dragon | Smithsonian’s National Zoonationalzoo.si.edu › animals › komodo-dragon[25]
What Do Dragon Komodo Eat?
Large adult dragons eat goats, pigs, deer, and smaller komodo dragons. They have been known to bring down horses and water buffalo. Zoo: Insects, mice, rats, rabbits, and prepared carnivore diet. Komodos are opportunistic.[26]
What Do Komodo Dragons Do?
Komodo dragons, or Komodo monitors, are the largest, heaviest lizards in the world — and one of the few with a venomous bite. These stealthy, powerful hunters rely on their sense of smell to detect food, using their long, forked tongues to sample the air.[27]
What Do Komodo Dragons Do To Humans?
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.[28]
What Do Komodo Dragons Eat And Drink?
The Dragon’s wide-ranging diet includes invertebrates, other reptiles (including smaller Komodo Dragons), birds, bird eggs and mammals from rats and monkeys to wild pigs, goats, deer, horses, and water buffalo. Young Komodos will eat insects, eggs, geckos, and small mammals.[29]
What Was The Prehistoric Precursor To The Komodo Dragon
The Origin of the Komodo Dragon | Science – Smithsonian Magazinewww.smithsonianmag.com › science-nature › the-origin-of-the-komodo-dr…[30]
Resources
[1]https://cosmosmagazine.com/nature/origin-of-the-worlds-largest-lizard/
[2]https://www.britannica.com/animal/Komodo-dragon
[3]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megalania
[4]https://www.twinkl.co.uk/teaching-wiki/komodo-dragon
[5]https://www.thedinopark.com/megalania.html
[6]https://www.livescience.com/27402-komodo-dragons.html
[7]https://www.britannica.com/animal/Komodo-dragon
[8]https://www.earth.com/earthpedia-articles/how-big-do-komodo-dragons-get/
[9]https://www.newsweek.com/bizarre-video-komodo-dragon-beach-turtle-head-1473489
[10]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/gila-monsters-vs-komodo-dragons/
[11]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/gila-monster
[12]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/gila-monster
[13]https://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-lizards-and-turtles
[14]https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090518172650.htm
[15]https://havocscope.com/komodo-dragon-for-sale/
[16]https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/article/3185546/indonesias-komodo-dragons-are-endangered-are-tourists-willing-pay-us250
[17]https://petkeen.com/can-komodo-dragons-be-kept-as-pets/
[18]https://wildlifeinformer.com/can-you-have-a-komodo-dragon-as-a-pet/
[19]https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/where-to-see-komodo-dragons
[20]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/iguanas-vs-komodo-dragons/
[21]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perentie
[22]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon
[23]https://www.livescience.com/51153-iguanas.html
[24]https://headsup.scoutlife.org/who-wins-honey-badger-or-komodo-dragon/
[25]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon
[26]https://louisvillezoo.org/animalsandplants/komodo-dragon/
[27]https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon
[28]https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna30913500
[29]https://www.fresnochaffeezoo.org/species/komodo-dragons/
[30]https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-origin-of-the-komodo-dragon-17655352/