Their bite makes you bleed uncontrollably.
They can follow you for kilometers
waiting for exhaustion to kick in.
And once you can't escape,
they'll start eating you
while you're still alive.
Sounds like a horror story,
but this monster is very real.
These carnivorous reptiles
are the heaviest lizards in the world.
Their powerful sense of smell can detect
blood up to 4 km (2.5 mi) away.
They have sharp claws,
and serrated, shark-like teeth
to eviscerate their prey.
And their bite contains a toxin
that won't allow blood to coagulate.
These dragons don't need to breathe fire
to be extremely deadly.
Today we'll see their worst attacks,
the people who survived them,
and others who weren't so lucky.
You'll never believe number 1.
The chances of encountering
these colossal beasts are slim
if you don't live on one of the five
eastern Indonesian islands
where they're normally found.
But our first dragon traveled
over 13,000 km (8,000 mi)
to attack its victim.
In 2001,
Phil Bronstein went on a private visit
to a Komodo dragon's pen
at the Los Angeles Zoo.
It was a present from his then-wife,
actress Sharon Stone.
Bronstein took off his white shoes,
which the keeper believed
could remind the animal
of a favorite food,
the white rat.
But when a sneakerless Phil
entered the cage to get his photo taken,
the dragon lunged for his foot.
Bronstein pinned the Komodo dragon's
head with his other foot
while the beast tried to maul him.
He then managed to pry open
the reptile's jaw,
throw it aside and crawl out of the cage.
Phil made it out alive
but had to undergo surgery
to rebuild his foot.
The key to saving his life
was quick thinking
and proximity to a hospital.
In 2007,
an eight-year-old boy
was playing with his friends
near their village on Komodo Island.
He rushed behind a bush to urinate,
but a hiding Komodo dragon attacked him.
His friends ran to get help.
The boy's uncle came
throwing rocks at his nephew's attacker
until it released his body,
but it was too late.
The wounds were lethal,
and the youngster died
from massive blood loss.
The attack happened
during the dry season,
and the water holes had dried up.
Since a dragon will find most of its prey
around these holes,
this one must've been particularly hungry.
On Komodo Island,
you have to be extra careful
around bushes and shrubs.
A camouflaged dragon
could be waiting to lunge.
In 2009,
31-year-old Muhamad Anwar
climbed a tree to get some apples
in a Komodo Island orchard.
Anwar accidentally fell to the ground,
where two dragons were waiting for him.
Neighbors heard screaming
and ran to find him badly injured.
Muhamad suffered severe wounds
to his legs and neck,
causing him to bleed profusely.
He was transported to a clinic
on nearby Flores Island
but was declared dead on arrival.
A single venom-laced bite could kill you.
But Muhamad's multiple bites
meant he had no time to get to a hospital.
Do you think these hungry beasts
only go for unsuspecting passersby?
I wouldn't be so sure.
In 2009,
a 46-year-old park ranger named Maen
was working at his desk in a hut
in Komodo National Park
when a Komodo attacked his ankles.
He tried to pry open its mouth,
but the dragon bit into his hand.
Maen thought he wouldn't survive.
He had seen a lot after spending
half his life around Komodos,
but nothing like this.
Lucky for him,
his friends heard his screams
and got him to safety.
He survived the attack,
but required 55 stitches on his hand.
The first rule of living on Komodo Island
is never to let your guard down,
even if you're an experienced park ranger.
Something you might not know
about Komodo dragons
is that researchers have traced
their origins to another country.
Yes, the place of extraordinary
and lethal creatures.
See our list of Australia's
deadliest animals
and how to live
through an encounter with them,
right here.