Komodo are about 3,300 in the park and in Flores.1,687 komodo dragons in Komodo island and 1,223 komodo dragon in Rinca island. For every female, there are about three males. Males have more than females. Perhaps with a smsll percentage of females is a responose to keep the Komodo dragon population from growing too quickly.
04. Habitat
Komodo Dragons are only found in komodo, Rinca, Gily Motang island, on small part of north and west Flores. They are recently extinct in padar. Komodo dragon are thought to have lived over the larger area may have been forced out of other island due to human population pressure. As well the formation of the island are always changing over time. Maybe it is diffcullt for them to cross the water now because of the strong currents. Dragon can be found in the monsoon foresst, in the Savana, on the beach, in the mongrove swamps and burrows. Sometimes the younger ones are found in the trees. The komodo Dragon range is mostly from sea level to 445m above sea level. Their location depends on their activity.
05. Reproduction
Female dragon start mating when they are 7 years old and male dragon start mating when they are 8 years old. The mating season of them is from juli to august.Female komodo dragon lay up to 30 eggs. The average number of eggs is 18 per cluch, one cluch per year.Females lay their eggs in the burrow, ofen they use the mound of the scrub fowl. The famale dragon digs several false tunnels so that predator can not find the eggs easily. The eggs incubate from 8-9 month. The eggs hatch in march-April. The average size of eggs are 8,6 cm long, with diameter of 5,9 cm and weight of 105 grams. The eggs are about the size of swam eggs. The shell are soft and leathery. The average length when they are born is 30,4 cm but their size can vary from 28 cm to 55 cm. The average weight is 80,3 grams.
06. Juvenille Dragons
Do the komodo dragon take care of their young? No, the female dragon only guard their nest during the incubation period for about three month. The baby dragon must defend for themselves after they are born. The young dragon ussully eat other small lizards, eggs, rats,snakes, and insects that live in trees, stumps and logs. Young dragon up to two years old spend most of their time in trees to protect themselves from being eaten by larger dragon. But dragon over 1,5 m long can not climb well, dragon two m are too heavy to climb trees.
07. Senses
Komodo dragon can see reasonably well, but they rely more on smell tan sight. Also komodo can hear well, but they often ignore sound. Kmodo use their tongues to detect scents and smell, they use their tounues to pick up chemical particles in the air and ground then put them in theier jacobson’s organ located on the roof of their mouth. Jacobson’s organ are kind of ‘ super nose’. That’s why we see them always flick their tongues out. The dragon can detect scents up to 5 km away. Depending on the wind, they can smell up to 11 km away.
