Komodo Island History
This is the story about the dragon. Not just a legend, but actually a dragon which is still inhabited the islands of eastern Indonesia, and center. The giant reptiles of the world has a reputation as a top predator in its class.Since the first on the island of Komodo, Flores ranks Islands, Indonesia, has emerged the story of a giant dragon. Many sailors who recounts that the dragon is more like a frightening monster.
Large tail can knock down a buffalo with a single flick. His jaw large and strong, to be able to swallow a pig in one fell swoop. And always spitting fire from his mouth.
The story was widely circulated and could attract the attention of many people. But no one had ever dared to approach the island to prove it. Until finally in the early 1910s, came the report of the combat force Dutch fleet based in Flores about the mysterious creature allegedly "dragon" inhabit a small island in the Lesser Sunda Islands (now ranks of Flores Islands, Nusa Tenggara).
The sailors of the Dutch military gave a report that the creature is likely to be measuring up to seven meters in length, with a giant body and a mouth always spitting fire. Lieutenant Steyn van Hensbroek, an official of the Dutch Colonial Administration in the area of Flores heard these reports and stories that surround the island of Komodo. He also planned a trip to Komodo Island.
After arming himself and took a team of trained soldiers, he landed on the island. After several days on the island, Hensbroek managed to kill a strange species.
She took him to headquarters and length measurements were taken that catch length of approximately 2.1 meters. The shape is very similar to lizards. Animals were then photographed (documented) by Peter A Ouwens, director of the Zoological Museum and Botanical Gardens Bogor, Java. This is the first documentation of the Komodo dragon.
Ouwens interested in finding these strange animals. He then recruited a cunning hunter to capture specimens for him. The hunters managed to kill two dragons tail measuring 3.1 meters and 3.35 meters, plus the capture of two pups, each measuring one meter below.
Based on the catch of the hunters, Ouwens do some research and concluded that the Komodo dragon is not a flamethrower, but including the type of monitor lizard (monitor lizard) in the class of reptiles.
Research results are then published in a newspaper published in 1912. In the news, Ouwens advise the name of the giant lizard Varanus komodoensis instead of the nickname Komodo Dragon (Komodo Dragon).
Realizing the significance of endangered species komodo, the Dutch government issued a regulation on the protection of Komodo and Komodo Island in 1915. Be region as the Komodo dragon conservation area.
Findings komodo dragon living legends, curious world. Several scientific expeditions from different countries take turns doing research on the island of Komodo.
Prehistoric Animals that survive
After World War I, a scientific expedition designed to conduct research dragons. In 1926, the expedition led by W. Douglas Burden from the American Museum of Natural History with the most modern research tools, conducting research for months.
The expedition which involves dozens of people were arrested 27 dragons tail. They perform surgical anatomy and species identification. From here the first complete scientific report about the Komodo dragon is made.
Described that the Komodo dragon has a large head and strong, has a pair of shining eyes, the skin hard, thick and wiry. Having kelambir wrinkled skin under her neck.
The shape is similar to a lizard, with four legs and a tail that big fat big fat too long. Has 26 sharp teeth, each measuring 4 cm, has a forked tongue bright red. When viewed from a distance, the tongue will resemble a fire, because dragons are often stuck out his tongue like a snake.
Komodo also a reliable hunter. He bites and bacterial toxins rely on his saliva to paralyze their prey. He will follow prey that have been hurt for days, until death, then he ate it. As a carnivore and scavenger (scavengers), Komodo dragons are found only on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Padar island, Gili Motang Owadi and Samiin. Komodo dragons are also known as a champion of animal swimming. That's how he conducted exploration on the islands around Flores.Fossil
Meanwhile in the mid-20th century, in Australia discovered fossils of ancient creatures that once studied is very similar to the Komodo dragon. Based on tests of carbon, the fossil was believed to have originated from the period 60-30 million years ago. This means that dragons once inhabited the mainland of Australia in prehistoric times.
But researchers are still puzzled by the relationship with the fossil island of Komodo dragons from Australia. Although the Earth's geological history indicates that the former Australia and some islands of Indonesia is one plate, but the island of Komodo is estimated to have formed about 1 million years ago.
While based on research, prehistoric Komodo dragons are extinct at least 30 million years ago, before the island of Komodo is formed. So why dragons are found only on Komodo Island and its surrounding area? Since when did inhabit the island of Komodo dragons? While it is never found trace remains of dragons in other places (except Australia). This is one mystery that requires further research.Komodo birth of the Mother "Virgin"
Just 18 days ago, waiting zoologists at the zoo for Chester Zoo, Manchester, England, ended. A natural phenomenon that surprised the world of animal science. A female komodo dragons are still virgin, managed to lay eggs and hatch five of them.
Based on news reported by the Associated Press, Flora the Komodo dragon's name-so-successful female gave birth to five baby dragons without the participation of the male inhabitants of the island of Komodo in the fertilization process.
"She was amazing, we were happy to know she is the mother and father of her babies," said Kevin Buley, curator of the zoo for the kind of vertebrates and invertebrates.
In mid-January 2007, the eggs began to break after a period of eight months that occurred on January 23, 2007 peak, with the birth of five Komodo dragons. While the two other eggs still dieraminya.
"The application of conservation breeding program is very unusual, because this opens up new avenues, where the animals can potentially be a colony on an island," Buley said.
"Females are able to swim across a new island, and then incubate the eggs, and then dating male babies and sexually produced a generation of new normal," he added.
DNA tests provide accurate evidence that she actually managed to give birth without the help of males.
He mentioned again, the size of the baby dragons are between 16 inches (40 cm) until it reaches 18 inches (45 cm) and weigh between 3 ½ - 4 ½ ounces (100-125 grams).
Eating Crickets and Grasshoppers
The fifth child of this Flora the Komodo dragon offspring born to be healthy and eat only crickets and grasshoppers as food diet. This is consistent with the original life of dragons in the wild.
Based on scientific knowledge, while growing up, baby Komodo dragon can reach lengths of 10 feet (3 meters) and weighs about 300 pounds (135 kilograms). If it reaches this extraordinary measure, they will be able to eat round a pig or deer.
Well, ferocious appetite in reptiles this explains why she is not allowed to be close to his children. "There was no maternal instincts in themselves dragons. So, it is natural to keep their children away from their parents. Parent will try to eat anything approaching in front of his nose, "said Buley.
According to the data, about 70 species of reptiles, including snakes and lizards are known to reproduce asexually (without having sex) in a process known scientifically as parthenogenesis. However, the conception of virginity (virginity) Flora and other komodo dragon in April at the London Zoo was the first documented.
Two conceptions of virginity was announced in September, contained in a scientific paper in the journal Nature.
The inhabitants of Komodo Island
Komodo dragons are native to islands of Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. The island's most lots occupied by dragons are named according to the name of this animal when it was discovered in 1910, the island of Komodo (Komodo Island).
These giant lizards, including endangered animals with a population of less than 4,000 wild birds. To protect the Komodo dragon, in 1980 agreed to form a conservation area in the form of Komodo National Park on Komodo Island and small islands around it.
Distribution and population of dragons in the last three decades is declining and its existence is increasingly threatened, primarily due to hunting deer, as its main prey. Even the population on the island of Padar known to have been lost since the late 1990s, whereas in the early 1980s, the dragons can still be found there. Attention and conservation of this species need to be specifically granted, because the Komodo dragon populations on the verge of extinction.
For some residents on the island of Komodo, the animal is considered more dangerous to humans than crocodiles, because the content of the bacteria in its saliva that can cause severe infections.
Typically, dragons mating season occurs between June to July. In August, a female Komodo dragon will dig a nest of birds nest mound former Gosong (Megapodius reindwardt) on the hill and nest hole in the ground, to lay her eggs which can reach 38 points. Komodo dragon eggs are usually guarded by its mother, but the newborn child in February or March is not maintained, instead often eaten.
Komodo takes five years to grow to two feet and can live for up to 30 years.
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