Get Curious About the Largest Lizard in the World!

What if the Komodo dragon is the closest thing Earth has to a mythological dragon?

What: Komodo dragons are dragons that secrete venom from their mouths instead of fire.

Who: The humans who share a habitat with Komodo dragons call the Komodo dragon, ora, buaya darat which translates to,"land crocodile."

When: "When a Komodo dragon bites prey with its large, serrated teeth, the venom produced by glands in its mouth can put the prey into shock by lowering it blood pressure, slowing its heartbeat, and preventing its blood from clotting." from The Screaming Hairy Armadillo

Where: Komodo dragons live on a few Indonesian islands, including Komodo Island, duh!

How: How do Komodo dragons smell? With their tongues, of course!

Why: Why are Komodo dragons so fierce? They have a pretty traumatic childhood: from the moment they crawl out of their egg until the time they are about four years old, they are in constant threat of being eaten... by other Komodo dragons!

Huh?: Not so fast! Komodo dragons are as slow and clumsy as they are powerful and ferocious; instead of pursuing fast food, they prefer to wait patiently for their prey to pass by.

Wow!: Komodo dragons can eat up to 80% of their own body weight in a single feeding!

Keep getting curious about animals with The Screaming Hairy Armadillo and it's free Educator's Guide!

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