Komodo dragons use their tongues to taste the air and can smell blood from six miles away. (This is helpful for following wounded prey.
At times, these reptiles can smell carrion, or rotting flesh, up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away. This lizard's large, curved and serrated teeth are its deadliest weapon, tearing flesh with efficiency.
They have a Jacobson's organ on the roof of the mouth that analyzes the information from the tongue and signals the direction of potential prey. Their sense of smell is so acute, they can detect the smell of dead or dying animals up to five miles away.
Attacks on humans are rare, but Komodo dragons have been responsible for several human fatalities, in both the wild and in captivity. According to data from Komodo National Park spanning a 38-year period between 1974 and 2012, there were 24 reported attacks on humans, five of them fatal.
Did you know that Komodo dragons use their tongue to smell? Every time a dragon flicks their long, forked tongue out of its mouth, scent particles land on it. When the tongue is brought back into the mouth, it rubs against a special organ called a Jacobson's organ.
Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of the Indonesian Islands for millions of years. Fossils, from 50,000 years ago, show they used to live in Australia once upon a time! Due to the increasing threats of habitat destruction, poaching and natural disasters, these dragons are considered a vulnerable species.
Humans can outrun a komodo dragon by outmaneuvering and tiring it. Komodo dragons can run at high speeds, but only for a short period of time. Outrunning a komodo dragon is possible, but you have to be quick on your feet.
A lion would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Lions are larger and heavier and have something that the Komodo dragon lacks: the ability to kill their enemy with a single blow.
An attack from a Komodo dragon can be fatal—even to humans. Compared to crocodilians and other reptiles, Komodo dragons have relatively weak bite strength. Instead, they rely on their sharp, curved teeth and long, sturdy claws to slash and tear at their prey with astonishing force.
Ultimately, its least developed sense is actually hearing – these creatures have restricted hearing to a maximum of roughly 2000 hertz. However, Komodo dragons have been recorded to respond to sound signals, which proves these inquisitive lizards are not completely deaf.
No, Komodo dragons are not friendly and should never be approached in the wild. They are wild animals and are very territorial. As the world's largest lizards, they can weight up to 200 pounds and have a mouth full of sharp, serrated teeth.
But when the dragons found themselves separated from their home island by a thin stretch of ocean, only a quick swim away, they settled in. The water itself isn't the problem, since Komodo dragons can swim pretty well.
Due to their very large size, full grown adult Komodo dragons do not have natural predators. However, Komodo dragons are known to be cannibalistic, meaning they have been known to kill and eat each other.
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is classified as endangered on International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, with 1,383 mature individuals remaining in the wild.
The Komodo dragon is a living dinosaur and the world's largest lizard. Komodo dragons can grow up to 3-4 metres in length and weigh over 100kg. Found on the Indonesian island of Komodo, there is a stable population of about 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons in the wild.
A crocodile would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Crocodiles are simply too large and too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fight back against. One likely outcome would be the crocodile waiting for the Komodo dragon in the water and dragging it beneath the waves to suffer a brutal death.
A bear would beat a Komodo dragon in a fight, but it might get bloody. The problem that Komodo dragons face is that they are very short compared to a bear. For example, if a Komodo dragon approached a grizzly bear, the bear would stand on its legs to appear bigger and scare it away.
An adult anaconda would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is a highly capable fighter, but it would not be able to deal fatal damage to the anaconda before it was grabbed and crushed. Anacondas can successfully attack crocodiles, creatures that can kill faster than a Komodo dragon.
There aren't many animals that can survive a Komodo attack. A human and another Komodo are pretty much the only ones. This endangered animal, down to about 4,000 in the wild, is at the top of the food chain in its habitat [source: Honolulu Zoo].
Their venom is highly poisonous and enough to kill animals in a few hours, even humans. Scientists have believed that Komodo dragons have killed their victims through bacterial infection for decades.
Let's get one thing straight: Komodo dragons will eat anything that has—or once had—a heartbeat, and that includes humans. They have been known to dig the deceased out of graves and even bite live humans. Between 1974 and 2012, a reported 24 people were attacked by Komodo dragons, and five of them died.
However, they also engage in appeasement behaviour, they show evidence in the wild of co-operative behaviour and have pretty clear dominance hierarchies, and they tame quickly and readily bond with humans.
Komodo dragons are not afraid of humans. In fact, they will often approach humans in hopes of getting food. This can be dangerous, as Komodo dragons can be very aggressive. It is best to admire these creatures from a distance!