Komodo Dragons (2)

Ecology, behavior and Komodo dragons are naturally found only in Indonesia, on Komodo, Flores and Rinca and several other islands in Nusa Tenggara. Living in the open dry grasslands, savannas and tropical forests at low altitude, these lizards like the place is hot and dry. They are active during the day, although sometimes also active at night. Komodo dragons are solitary animals, gathered together only at meals and breed. These great reptiles could run faster to 20 miles per hour at short distances, swim very well and can dive as deep as 4.5 meters, as well as clever climb trees using their strong claws. To catch prey that are beyond its reach, the Komodo dragon may stand on its hind legs and uses its tail as a supporter. With increasing age, more dragons using his claws as weapons, because of its large size trouble climbing trees. For shelter, dragons dig holes 1-3 meters wide with front legs and strong claws.Because of his body and the habit of sleeping in the hole, the Komodo dragon can maintain body heat during the night and reduce the time soaking up the next morning.Komodo generally hunt during the day until late afternoon, but still take shelter during the day terpanas.Tempat dragons hiding-places are usually located in the dunes or hills with the sea breeze, is open from vegetation, and here and there scattered dung inhabitants. This place is generally also a strategic location to ambush deer.

Feeding behavior 
Komodo dragons are carnivores. Although they eat mostly carrion, studies show that they also hunt live prey by sneaking off followed by a sudden attack against the victim.When prey comes near the hiding place of dragons, the animals immediately attacked him on the bottom side of the body or throat. Komodo can find their prey by using a sharp sense of smell, which can find the animal dead or dying at a distance of up to 9.5 kilometers. These ancient reptiles ate in a way to rip big chunks of meat and then swallow it round front leg while holding the body of its prey. For small-sized prey until the registration of goats, their meat can be spent once swallow. Perutmangsa Fill in the form of plants normally left to a reddish saliva disentuh.Air not come out in large quantities and very helpful dragons in swallowing prey. However, the process still takes time to swallow a long, 15-20 minutes is required to swallow a goat. Komodo sometimes try to speed up the process of swallowing it by emphasizing carrion prey into a tree, so that carcasses can be entered through the throat. And sometimes all efforts to suppress it so hard that the tree be collapsed. In order to avoid so as not to choke when swallowing, dragons breathe through a small channel under the tongue, which relate directly to his lungs. His jaw that can be developed freely, his skull is pliable and can stomach the extraordinary elastic allows dragons eat large prey, by 80% its own body weight in one meal. After eating, stuffed dragons dragged his body to find sunshine to bask and speed up the process of digestion. If not, the food can rot in his stomach and poison their own bodies. Due to a slow metabolism, large dragons can survive by just eating 12 times a year or approximately once a month. After the meat undigested prey, dragons spewing the remains of horns, hair and teeth its prey, in clumps of mucus mixed with foul-smelling, lumps which are known as the gastric pellet. After that dragons brushed his face to the ground or into the bushes to clean up the remnants of mucus that is still attached; behavior suggests that dragons, like humans, not like the smell of his own spittle. 

In the collection, most large-sized Komodo dragons usually eat first, followed by smaller according to hierarchy. Showed the greatest male dominance through body language and desisannya; are greeted with the same language by male-male other smaller ones to show its recognition of that power. Komodo dragons are the same size, may be fighting pitted forces, a kind of wrestling with how to monitor lizards, until one of them to admit defeat and retreat, although sometimes the loser may have been killed in a fight and devoured by the winner. Komodo dragons prey very varied, covering a variety of invertebrates, other reptiles (including smaller-bodied dragons), birds and their eggs, small mammals, monkeys, wild pigs, goats, deer, horses, and buffalo. Young dragons eat insects, eggs, lizards, and small mammals. Sometimes dragons are also prey on humans and the corpses were exhumed from a shallow grave pit. This habit causes Komodo islanders avoid sandy ground and choose to bury the corpse in clay, and covered it with stones so as not to dig dragons. There is also a suspect that dragons evolve to eat pygmy elephants Stegodon who ever lived on Flores. [25] The Komodo dragon has also been observed when the shock and scare the deer a female who was pregnant, hoping for a miscarriage and the fetus can be eaten carcass, a behavior that also found in large predators in Africa. Because no midriff, dragons can not breathe in water or licking water to drink (like cats). Instead, the dragons 'scoop' the water with the rest of his mouth, then lifted his head for the water flowing into the stomach.