Komodo Island -- home to the world's rarest reptiles

Komodo Island -- home to the world's rarest reptiles

By Gedsiri Suhartono

KOMODO ISLAND (JP): Locally dubbed ora, the Komodo dragon is
one of the world's rarest and most primitive reptiles, its thick
and freckled skin enhancing its prehistoric appearance.

It is native to a few small islands in Indonesia, i.e. Western
Flores and the islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.

The habitat of the dragon is increasingly being reduced,
particularly in Flores, where the ora receives little protection.

Although a population census has been counted occasionally,
accurate figures are still not available, and total population
estimates vary from 800 to 2,600 reptiles.

Komodo Island is home to the largest number of Komodo dragons.
The protection of the species is concentrated in the Komodo
National Park, covering over 219,000 hectares of land and sea.

Outside its native home, it is estimated that 35 ora are
scattered in four Indonesian zoos, as well as in Japan,
Australia, Thailand, Singapore and the cities of San Diego and
Madrid zoos.

Most of the world's Komodo dragons are from the wild. Until
last year, the Ministry of Forestry and the Indonesian Institute
of Sciences (LIPI), cited only two Indonesian zoos and one
American zoo who have been successful in hatching ora eggs.

Since 1931, the Komodo dragon has been classified as an
endangered species, but many in local communities despise the
dragon for the lizards' "privileges", and the repercussions of
such support.

"People's attention has only been focused on the dragon
instead of on other things," Amiruddin Using, a tour guide, told
The Jakarta Post.

In his opinion, the world-wide attention on the beast could
have been used to boost the living conditions of the local
people, as well as improving methods of transportation to the
area.

A National Park employee, who requested anonymity, told the
Post the Park is facing many problems with its managerial
systems. "The Park needs more rangers, who need higher salaries,
given the dangerous nature of the work," he said, referring to
the frequent, yet uncertain chance of running into illegal
hunters, shooting for deer.

The park rangers receive a monthly salary of only Rp 150,000
(US$63).

Emanuel, another park ranger, said their solitary confinement
from the rest of the world makes them very appreciative of
visitors' company.

"We only return home every other week," Emanuel, who has
worked at the park for eight years, said.

Though traveling has been made easier with contemporary means,
transportation is far from reliable. Very few flights, if they
are not canceled, fly directly into Labuan Bajo.

So scarce are the flights, it's alleged influence and power is
often used to remove people from the reservation list.

A visitor said she had to use her connections -- a relative in
the police force -- to ensure a seat on a flight which had been
canceled three times.

Ultimate predator

The Komodo dragon, or varanus komodoensis, the major predator
in this ecosystem, is compared by many scientists to the
Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur. It will devour every animal present
in the Park if able, including large beasts such as buffalo, deer
and boar.

The master of ambush, it smells with its tongue, locating its
prey with remarkable accuracy.

The largest predator on earth, to some the Komodo dragon is
vile, as well as cunning. Its nasty bite usually spreads a deadly
bacteria, known to kill the prey it attacks, regardless of size.

A dragon's deadly nip will subject a buffalo to 15 days of
agonizing pain, dying slowly. When the smell of death permeates
the air, the community of dragons will be drawn out of their
hiding places, to feast on the rotting carcass. Sharing is no
problem.

This ultimate carnivore sometimes eats even its own offspring.
If an immature lizard can survive the first eight years of life,
then it will most likely succeed as a mature adult.

An average size of an adult dragon can reach a length of over
three meters, and may weigh up to 60 kilograms.

Despite its islands of origin, the dragon's greatest flaw lies
in its inability to endure heat. During hot days, they need to
rest under the shade to keep their body temperature down.

Don't be deceived by the dragon's indifferent appearance as
they laze in the shade, or sleep under a tree to stay away from
the high temperatures. Despite its size and weight, a ora can run
on four legs at a speed of 30 km/hour, and can eat up to 80
percent of their body weight at one meal.

Park rangers said some scientists have watched a 42-kilogram-
dragon devour a 30-kilogram boar carcass in 17 minutes.

Living side-by-side with residents of the Kampung Komodo, the
unabashed opportunists often prey on unguarded chickens and
goats. Dragons are survivors, and in times of hardship they can
change from being predators to scavengers.

So far, about nine people have been slain by the dragon --
none of them from local villages.

Until three years ago, many tourists at the National Park
could watch the dragon consume a meal by paying the price for a
goat. The Park management has, however, stopped this dodgy
practice, because many Komodo dragons become too used to the
handouts, and refuse to hunt on their own.

Sex

It is difficult to tell one dragon's sex apart from another --
not even the dragons can tell their kind apart.

To copulate, a male dragon initiates a wrestling match with
other dragons. If the defeated dragon is a male, he will lie
still, facing reptilian humiliation due of its inability to
conquer, and thereby will not earn a female's approval for
intercourse. The ritual battle will often see the vanquished
partly paralyzed for a short period, due to the intensity of the
fight.

The attacker knows his opponent is a female dragon when he
continues to feel her resistance, despite apparent signs of
losing. He will then rub his head on hers, waiting for her to
lift her tail, allowing the male dragon to impregnate her.

Laying her eggs one month after fertilization, a mother dragon
will guard the nest, possibly by fasting for a three-month
period, to ensure no other mother dragon is attracted to the
mound of eggs, buried 12 feet under.

Outcasts from another era, many mysteries of the dragon are
yet to be revealed. Local residents believe the dragon was the
reincarnation of a handicapped boy, abandoned in the forest. His
older sister, who never forgot her sibling, returned to the
island some years later, and instantaneously thought of her
brother on first seeing the dragon.

Some villagers still offer food to the dragon, emulating the
sister's act when she first viewed the creature.