This particular Indonesian island has one inhabitant
that might scare away sunbathing tourists.
I'm talking about the island of Komodo,
which is home to the world's largest lizard,
you guessed it. The Komodo dragon.
While these venomous man-eating lizards
may be the stuff of nightmares to some,
they are actually a tourist attraction.
And what's more, the people of the island have to live with
these monstrous creatures.
While Komodo dragons are concentrated on five
volcanic islands in Southeast Indonesia,
the most well-known is Komodo.
They live everywhere there, from beach to brush
to ridgetop.
So if you ever decide to visit this dragon-ridden island,
it's likely you'll come across one.
Though these dragons don't breathe fire,
they do have a deadly, venomous bite.
It's as potent as the inland taipan,
one of the world's most venomous snakes that can be
found in Western Australia.
Combined with their razor-sharp teeth, a Komodo
dragon's venom can rapidly drop its victim's blood
pressure, accelerate blood loss and cause infection.
Some animals will die quickly, while others
may escape an initial attack only to die within 24 hours.
Either way, the Komodo dragon will get its meal.
While adolescent Komodo dragons tend to feed on rats,
birds and carrion,
adult dragons will go after animals
as large as pigs, deer and water buffalo.
Sometimes out of desperation, they will even
eat other Komodo dragons.
They have a hinge on their lower jaw that allows them to
open their mouths extra wide for larger prey.
The Komodo dragon's stomach also expands easily
and quickly, which means they can ingest and store
about 80% of their own body weight in a single meal.
And should they feel threatened,
they have no problem regurgitating their stomach
contents to lighten the load and sprint off
when necessary.
And yes, in case you're wondering,
they can and have eaten humans.
There has been a total of 31 recorded attacks and four
deaths throughout Komodo National Park,
which includes the islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.
But despite this apex predator's ability to kill
humans, attacks are rare.
Typically, humans and Komodo dragons peacefully
coexist.
Some Komodo residents even consider the dragons family.
Most of the time, Komodos avoid people.
This is because humans aren't seen as a threat or a preferred
food source.
On the island of Padar, where Komodo dragons were
once plentiful, their population has been
decimated.
This is due to their main food source, the Timor deer,
being poached.
In 2014, three aggressive dragons were relocated
to Rinca after a series of attacks on humans.
These attacks were likely caused by their dwindling
food sources or the dragon feeling threatened.
In reality, humans pose a bigger risk to the dragons
than the dragons do to humans.
Climate change is the biggest threat to these
magnificent reptiles.
More specifically, hotter,
drier temperatures and rising sea levels.
Research from the University of Adelaide and
Deakin University found that the already-endangered
dragons could become extinct on three of the five islands if
increased conservation initiatives are not
implemented.
Luckily, the Komodo dragons are still thriving in
Komodo National Park and are often photographed and
observed by visitors on guided tours.
Hopefully, they will never become just a myth,
like the fictional dragons of Arthurian lore.
These dragons we don't want to slay.
If you're interested in learning more about Komodo dragons,
check out another episode that features these
wonderful lizards.
Living with humans and having deadly bites
is what Komodo dragons do.
And that's what makes them