Jambo, everybody! Mr. Nature here.
The Komodo dragon, the world’s largest living lizard, often looks to us like he’d be slow and clumsy. That’s because they’re often filmed right after they eat; and when they eat, they gorge themselves and waddle around all bloated.
But here in a park–yes, it’s a park, not a wilderness: you can see the nice bike lanes–a Komodo dragon decides he’d like a haunch of venison. As he approaches, in plain sight, the deer decide it’s time to move out. And they decide just in time–he almost catches one! And then gives chase.
He can’t catch up to a deer running flat-out, but he’s still going pretty fast.
If you’re thinking of visiting Komodo Island, where these lizards are the apex predators, be very, very sure that you can outrun this critter. Each year they do manage to catch and eat a tourist or two.
(Sheesh, it’s a freakin’ park! Imagine that coming at you in Roosevelt Park. I’m gonna have nightmares…)
The dragon doesn’t have to bring down his prey, merely give it a severe bite. His saliva has a very strong blood thinner and the victim eventually simply bleeds to death. He merely follows it until it collapses. At one time they thought that its bite was highly toxic and the prey died of the agent in the saliva, but apparently they now know that the creature’s saliva is a very potent blood thinner that prevents coagulation.
It took a long time to discover that. I’m sure we can all see why.
You know that they are the world’s largest living lizard. 🙂
And getting larger all the time. (*!*)
I’d answer in greater depth, but there’s one trying to eat my house. 🙂