What exactly is the strength of the world's largest lizard? Today I will take you to reveal the largest lizard in the existing world, is there really strength behind the "myth" of people?
Komodo dragon shape
Komodo dragon
The Komodo dragon is also known as the Komodo dragon because it resembles a Western ancient dragon.
This species is mainly distributed in the grasslands and forests of Indonesia, but also in other areas, preferring open places.
Red is the historical distribution, green is the existing distribution
But Komodo dragons are not truly native lizards, and studies have shown that they drifted from small Australian islands 15 million years ago.
At that time, the Komodo dragon belonged to the genus of monitor lizards, and due to changes in the environment, all other monitor lizards disappeared, leaving only one species of Komodo dragon, which shows that its survival ability is undoubted.
Ancient monitor lizards compared to human body size
The Komodo dragon has also become the largest lizard in existence, with a body length of about 2 to 3 meters, males weighing between 80 and 91 kilograms, and females weighing 68 to 73 kilograms.
This is equivalent to some small and medium-sized pigs fed in rural areas, and the world's largest Komodo dragon is more than 3 meters long and weighs about 166 kilograms, which is simply "stronger" than a pig.
Komodo dragons are solitary animals and only gather together when eating.
Komodo dragon
Because once they stay together for too long, it is easy to cannibalize, which is very common in the group of this species.
For example, during the food shortage season, the pups become an excellent ration for adults, and although the biological mother will not eat them, they will inevitably be coveted by other adults.
The Komodo dragon usually looks cute, completely like an "honest person", so that many people will question its strength, but can clearly tell you that the "myth" of the Komodo dragon is not blown out.
Komodo dragon
The skill of life
First of all, although Komodo dragons are terrestrial creatures, they will lurk in the water to hunt when necessary, they lurk at a depth of about 5 meters, and can adapt to most freshwater waters.
Komodo dragons not only dive but also climb trees, and they continue the tree-climbing skills unique to the lizard species, using strong claws to slowly climb tall trees, and they are very stable.
Therefore, when facing Komodo dragons, don't think that the tree is safe, and you will often be cornered when the time comes.
Komodo dragons are very capable of climbing trees
However, it is worth mentioning that the ability to climb trees is juvenile and adult Komodo dragons, and the old ones have lost the function of climbing trees due to the evolution of their claws to be sharper and longer.
Don't look at their heavy bodies, when necessary, they can reach a speed of 20 kilometers per hour, compared to 10 kilometers per hour for humans.
It can be said that in addition to flying into the sky, Komodo dragons basically know everything, from the treetops to the bottom, they shuttle freely, such an all-round species, how can the strength not be strong?
Komodo dragon
It is no wonder that Komodo dragons have survived the tide of history to this day, they are quite powerful.
Of course, they are far more powerful than that, scientists have found that their saliva is poisonous.
Toxicity of Komodo dragons
Previously, it was believed that the toxicity of Komodo dragons came from bacteria in their saliva, causing the bite wounds of their prey to quickly rot and eventually die.
But in fact, besides bacteria, there are other causes.
In 2009, scientists collected many samples from the head of a dead Komodo dragon, including a saliva-secreting gland, and specifically tested for toxicity.
MRI 3D imaging of the head of a monitor lizard
Scientists found one of the toxic proteins, and after experiments, it was found that the toxic protein is the source of the toxicity of Komodo dragons, which has the characteristics of paralysis, coagulation of blood, lowering blood pressure, and inducing hypothermia.
Blood clotting is certain death
This makes scientists a little unbelievable, after all, they have seen countless deadly venoms, but they still rarely see this comprehensive toxin.
It is undeniable that the bacteria in saliva also have some causes, but this comprehensive toxin is simply numb, and once poisoned overdose, it is difficult to treat.
Statistics show that in 2010, about 12 people died from the toxins of Komodo dragons.
Komodo dragons are not easy to mess with
When hunting prey, their venom glands mainly secrete a toxin that makes the blood clot.
Once the prey is bitten, they don't need to "mend the knife" at all, they just need to follow the smell of their toxins and enjoy the decaying corpse.
However, because the Komodo dragon's nose is sensitive, a decomposing corpse usually attracts several companions to eat together.
If the prey is large enough, they will not dislike each other, and if there is not enough food to eat, a fight is always inevitable.
They fight very funny, it looks like two Komodo dragons hugging each other, but it is actually a means for both sides to bite each other.
It's not a blind date
Once the other party falls, it is likely to become a "plate meal" for many monitor lizards.
For inexhaustible food, Komodo dragons will bury it in the soil and wait for the next time to eat, but it is difficult for them to eat "leftovers", because the food buried in the soil is likely to be dug up by other kinds.
In his later years, Komodo dragons attacked each other more with sharp claws, and their powerful claws could instantly penetrate into the bones of buffaloes, and the lethality was very terrifying.
If you think that Komodo dragons are just very powerful, you are very wrong, they also have natural defenses.
indestructible
The skin of the Komodo dragon is a layer of natural chain mail, like armor woven with layers of steel mesh, which can resist the chopping of sharp objects, and is very dense.
The Komodo dragon climbed out of the momentum
In the fight with large prey, they are likely to "break the bone", but they will definitely not "break the defense".
This "soft" and tough skin is comparable to crocodile skin.
Therefore, when facing the Komodo dragon, everyone can rest assured that they can put down the knife in their hands, because it has no effect, but will become a "stumbling block" on the way to escape.
And give, this layer of soft armor of the Komodo dragon can also resist some less powerful pistols.
In addition, the Komodo dragon has a wide field of vision, very keen eyes, and can capture information from 300 meters away and accurately feed back to the brain.
The only downside is that the ears of a Komodo dragon may not be very good, and a robust Komodo dragon can hear about the same as an older person in human society.
Komodo dragons are not small
But this is harmless, and the sense of sight and smell can completely compensate for the hearing deficit.
In general, the Komodo dragon combines almost the advantages of most animals in one, and is a well-deserved top predator in nature, and its strong strength is convincing.
Powerful but in need of protection
However, no matter how powerful a species is, it is difficult to survive in the face of human greed.
Even if you are much bigger than people, you will still encounter poisoners
In the last century, people coveted the hard skin of the Komodo dragon and hunted it on a large scale, and for a time, the wind of trade prevailed.
At its lowest, the number of Komodo dragons dropped to less than 3,000.
Since then, although the Indonesian government has strengthened the protection of Komodo dragons and established related ecological reserves on the islands, poaching has still prevailed.
In addition, the reproduction ability of Komodo dragons themselves is not very strong, and females lay 4 to 6 eggs at a time, and the survival rate is only about half, resulting in their numbers to the point of precariousness.
Komodo dragons do not survive easily
Any animal has the right to survive in nature, and we cannot affect the survival of species for our own benefit.