Indonesia | 1996 | Komodo Dragon | 50 Rupiah|

 

Komodo Dragon



The Komodo dragon, the world’s largest living lizard, inhabits several Indonesian islands and can reach 3 metres in length and around 70 kilograms in weight. Once thought to be an example of island gigantism, it is now considered a surviving descendant of giant varanid lizards formerly widespread across Indonesia and Australia. As dominant predators, Komodo dragons ambush a variety of prey, from invertebrates to large mammals, and possess jaw glands that secrete anticoagulant proteins often described as venom. Large individuals mainly eat deer and carrion, and attacks on humans occasionally occur. They breed annually, laying around 20 eggs that hatch after seven to eight months; juveniles live in trees to avoid predators, including adults. Known to science since 1910, Komodo dragons are popular in zoos but vulnerable in the wild due to shrinking habitat. They are legally protected in Indonesia, with Komodo National Park established for their conservation.


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