The Komodo Dragon
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The Komodo Dragon's scientific name is Varanus komodoensis however it is better known by the common names Komodo Dragon, Ora, or Buaja Darat (land crocodile).
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KOMODO DRAGON FACT SHEET >>
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Habitat of the Komodo Dragon
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This amazing creature lives in freedom only on the Island of Komodo and a few neighbouring islands. Huge efforts are being made to protect this endangered species, with numbers having stabilized at around 2,500 (Blanc, 2004), however only about 500 of these are females of breeding age (Tweedie, 2004). The Komodo Dragons are protected by about 70 rangers spread over the national park's 60,000 hectares and many of the animals have electronic chips embedded under their scales for tracking and monitoring.
Dragon numbers were reduced by poaching, and habitat destruction, including dynamite fishing of nearby reefs. Today, poachers face 10 years imprisonment and destructive fishing practices have been outlawed (Blanc, 2004). The health of Komodo Dragons is assisted by researchers from Australia, San Diego USA, and a number of other interested organisations.
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Discovery of the Komodo Dragon
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The Komodo Dragon was considered mythical by westerners prior to the Twentieth Century (Trivedi, 2003). It was only after a dutch expedition to the Indonesian Archipelago in 1910 discovered them that their reality of their existence become international knowledge (Wheeler, 2004). The Komodo Dragon is not a Dragon at all, it is actually a member of the Varanidae family of Lizards, commonly known as Monitor Lizards.
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More about the Komodo Dragon
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If you would like to know more about the Komodo Dragon, visit our Komodo Dragon Fact Sheet or try an external website from one of our Komodo Dragon Resource Links. Other information contained within this site includes an essay on the Evolution of reptiles and the Komodo Dragon, information on the Komodo National Park and a growing Catalogue of Reptiles, that includes the taxonomy of reptiles, a number of subsidiary family pages with species details and where possible images of the reptiles themselves.
If you would like to find something else here, or have some content to add, please email me at info@komododragon.biz.
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