As you can see in this picture the Komodo lives in a
wooded area, and eats a a lot of meat. Komodo Dragons
Habitat
The Komodo Dragon lives on the Komodo Islands and Indonesian archipelago. The Komodo Dragon prefers to stay in the woods. They don't really like people, but they can live on the same island as them. The people that live on the island stay away from the Dragons. That is a little hard to ignore a 300 pound monitor lizard that runs a round this island that is inhabited by people and beast.
As you can see in this picture the Komodo lives in a
wooded area, and eats a a lot of meat.
Geographical Distribution:
The geographical distribution of the Komodo Dragon's habitat is located in the Indonesian archipelago. On the Komodo Island, it mainly lives in the woods, and in the water. The Komodo can swim half the speed it can run.
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Current Environmental Status:
Komodo
is no longer a remote island accessible only by wealthy tourists on private
boats. Today there are over 20,000 visitors a year that visit the park. The
majority of visitors still arrive by cruise ship, despite the fact the most
popular, Spice Island Cruises, ceased operations in 1999.
The gateway to Komodo is arguably the island of Bali. While most visitors to Komodo National Park enter through the gateway cities of Bima in eastern Sumbawa, or Labuanbajo in the west of Flores, the departure point is actually Bali. Both Bima and Labuanbajo are serviced by regularly scheduled flights that depart daily at 9:30am from Denpasar to Bima, with connecting flights to Labuanbajo on Monday and Saturday. The gateway cities are also connected to Bali by overland buses and inter-island ferries. There are local coastal ships that travel between Lombok and Labuanbajo. These boats cater to tourists and take passengers on a four day trip that includes a day and night in Komodo National Park (cost $50 per person).
Park Facilities:
The Komodo National Park administrative offices are located in Labuanbajo in
west Flores. An information center and travel agents where transportation to and
from the Park can be arranged are also found in Labuanbajo. The majority of
tourists to the Park pass through the Loh Liang ranger station nestled in the
sweeping arc of Slawi Bay on Komodo island. This is the largest facility in
Komodo National Park with bungalows and rooms, a restaurant and a dormatory for
the park rangers. The most popular tourist activity is a hike to the Banugulung
viewing area, a two-hour roundtrip level walk that originates from Loh Liang.
Hikes to other areas of Komodo are also possible, and vary from one to two days:
Gunung Ara, Poreng, Loh Sebita, Gunung Sata libo, Soro Masangga. On longer walks
overnight accommodation can be arranged at ranger posts at Loh Sebita and Loh
Genggo. For certified divers there is a compressor and diving equipment
available for hire at Loh Liang as well as masks and fins for snorkellers.
Handicrafts made in the nearby village of Komodo are for sale at the arrival
jetty.
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Other
The Komodo Dragon's reproduction : The Komodo Dragon reproduces with eggs, you would know this if you took my quiz.
The gestation period for the eggs is eight to nine months. Hatchlings, which average 40 centimeters in length and weigh 100 grams, emerge from the nest in April and immediately scramble up the nearest tree to avoid being eaten by the adults. There are plenty of small lizards, insects and mammals in the canopy after the brief rainy season in January and February to sustain the juveniles until they descend to the forest floor roughly a year later. This period of change between an arboreal and a terrestrial habitat, when the juveniles are a meter in length, is a time fraught with danger. The juvenile Komodo is just too bulky to safely ascend many trees, and not big enough to outrun a ravenous and determined adult. Cannibalism is a fact of life for this species, and perhaps is an evolutionary response to the harsh, arid climate of Komodo.
Diet:
Prey species for the dragon on
Komodo island include deer, boar, wild buffalo, the maleo bird, snakes, reptiles
and small mammals. On Rinca, the monkeys and wild horses found there are also
constitute prey, as do the goats raised by the local people. On the odd occasion
people are also attacked by the Komodo dragon. There have been eight recorded
instances of attacks on humans since Komodo has become a national park, almost
all of which occurred on Rinca.