KOMODO DRAGON

SCIENTIFIC NAME :-      Varanus Komodensis

OCCURRENCE :-            Islands of Komodo,Flores,east of Java,Pintja,Padar

HABITAT :-                   Grassland

SIZE :-                         Length 3 m

FAMILY :-                     Varanidae

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS :-

1. It is a large heavy-bodied lizard with well developed limbs having talon claws , a thick tail and a forked tongue which can be retracted into the lizards mouth.
2. Its teeth are large and jagged and it is a voracious carnivore.
3. It is a good climber and swimmer and tends to live near water.
4. It is active during day and hunts for hog deer , wild boar , small deer and pigs.
5. The male lizards perform spectacular ritualized fights to assert their dominance.
6. The female lays about 15 eggs which she buries in ground to incubate.