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Komodo Island and its Dragons
Listed under Wildlife in Indonesia.
Photo by flickr user Ingsoc
Weighing in at 150kgs, four metres in length, covered from head to tail in rough armoured hide and with the reputation of cunning, speed, strength, a predatorial nature and poor hygiene, the Komodo dragon is the closest you can get to seeing a real live dinosaur = Making Komodo Island and Komodo National Park Jurassic Park.
Established in 1980 to protect these distinctive animals and the other fauna and flora that make up their environment the park includes three islands, Komodo, Rinca and Padar and is near the Indonesian island of Sumbawa. As well as the dragons you can expect to see Timor Deer, mangroves, bays of sea grass and coral reefs. Dugongs, sharks, turtles, dolphins and manta rays live within the park's waters.
The terrain is as prehistoric as the creatures who patrol it, mostly dry and rocky but moist green glens nestle deep between the volcanic peaks.
When it was established in 1980 the park included several inhabited areas which are still inhabited today, but the dragons still outnumber humans eight to one. Visitors to the island can stay on land or moor offshore and go diving or snorkelling or just explore the dragon's dry rocky home, but take care, these guys are mean.
Komodo National Park Website.
Written by World Reviewer Staff.
"Excerpt from 'Here be Dragons'"
By Matt Warren for The Independent First published October 30, 2004 There is a dragon in the lavatory. It is a giant: nine feet long and broad shouldered, its dark, scaly head like a chunk of aggregate. It is drinking from the bowl and turns in a seri… Read more...
Written by press. Full Article from The Independent
"Excerpt from 'Sailing in Search of Dragons'"
By David Hochman First published October 3, 1999 We were snorkeling off the side of an old-fashioned wooden schooner in the glittering seas of Indonesia when the news arrived that those scaly, flesh-eating lizards known as Komodo dragons are every bit… Read more...
Written by press. Full Article from The New York Times
These volcanic islands are inhabited by a population of around 5,700 giant lizards, whose appearance and aggressive behaviour have led to them being called 'Komodo dragons'. They exist nowhere else in the world and are of great interest to scientists studying the theory of evolution. The rugged hillsides of dry savannah and pockets of thorny green vegetation contrast starkly with the brilliant white sandy beaches and the blue waters surging over coral.
Copyright © UNESCO/World Heritage Centre. All rights reserved.
World Reviewer Staff - posted 7th December 2007
Home of the dragons that bear their name, the Komodo Islands draw in many tourists. Discovered only in 1910, the world's largest lizards have been the cause of fear and fascination, and visitors have flocked here ever since. Even if you venture off the island of Komodo, you will still find these dragons on some of the surrounding islands, as well as the world's largest saltwater crocodiles. The islands of Komodo, Rinca, and Padar combine to form Komodo National Park, a World Heritage Site.
Sarah Clise - posted 23rd November 2007
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