The monitor lizard is dangerous to humans. What you need to know about venomous lizards

Komodo is a small island in Indonesia, famous throughout the world for its giant monitor lizards or dragons. These are the largest lizards on earth, growing up to 3 meters in length and weighing 150 kilograms. Their bite is poisonous and they are dangerous to humans.

Because adult dragons have a very good sense of smell, they can locate the source of the scent of blood up to 5 km away. There have been several documented cases of Komodo dragons attempting to attack tourists with minor open wounds or scratches. A similar danger threatens women who visit the island while on their menstrual cycle...

We approached the island early in the morning. For some reason, I imagined it to be flat and rocky, but it turned out to be green and hilly, similar to Tolkien’s Interland:

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There is no port on the island and we stopped at a roadstead. The pies of the natives immediately approached us:

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Some were simply watching the huge white ship with interest, while others were trying to sell local beads and wood crafts:

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At first, I didn’t understand how they were going to take money from me and give me goods, given that the open deck of the ship is at the height of the 5th floor:

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Everything fell into place when we got into the boats to get to the shore:

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There was no pier where our liner could moor on the Island, and we were taken ashore on Tenders (lifeboats):

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Each boat can comfortably accommodate 80 passengers. In case of an emergency, if the boat needs to be used for its intended purpose, 2 times more is placed here:

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There is a small fishing village, where about 700 people live. They were all fenced off from tourists with an invisible fence so that they wouldn’t pester too much with their souvenirs for “van dola!”:

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Souvenirs could be purchased both from local children and in a civilized manner - in a beach store:

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Several rangers and locals accompanied us deeper into the island. The locals had long sticks with a spear at the end in their hands. They use them to defend themselves from dragons. In the event of an attack, they push their horn into the dragon’s eyes and push it away from them:

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On the territory of the park in the jungle there are paths along which tourists are led:

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These are not bananas, but the fruits of the cotton tree:

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When they ripen, they open up and look like large lumps of cotton wool:

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On Komodo Island there are not only giant lizards, but also specimens of quite familiar sizes:

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I was too lazy to change the lens. These ants were filmed at 500:

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Flying lizard:

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Deer are the most favorite food of dragons. Having tracked a deer, wild boar or buffalo in the bushes, the dragon attacks and seeks to inflict a lacerated wound on the animal, into which poison and many bacteria from the monitor lizard’s oral cavity are introduced. Even the largest male dragons do not have enough strength to immediately defeat a large ungulate animal, but as a result of such an attack, the victim’s wound becomes inflamed, blood poisoning occurs, the animal gradually weakens and after a while dies. The only thing left for the monitor lizards is to follow the victim until it dies. The time it takes for it to die varies depending on its size. For example, in a buffalo, death occurs after 3 weeks.

At one time, they conducted an experiment and tried to feed the monitor lizards with brought deer, but they began to get sick and die. For some reason, they can only eat local animals:

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In total, about 1,000 passengers descended on the island. We were divided into groups of 25 people and driven along the same route with an interval of 5 minutes:

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Dragons were “prepared” for us along the route in advance. If you look closely at their bellies, you will see that they have recently eaten a hearty meal and simply cannot move:

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Komodo Island is located in the very center of the Indonesian archipelago. This is the habitat of the unique and largest lizards in the world - Komodo dragons.

We are in Indonesia. Komodo Island is relatively small, its area is about 390 sq. km. Almost its entire territory is occupied by National Park Komodo, created in 1980 to protect Komodo dragons. The coastline seems to be indented with rocky capes, clearly of volcanic origin:

The nature here is unique. Almost the entire territory is covered by arid savannah.

You can get here from the island of Bali using the following tourist equipment:

In general, Komodo is an island often visited by cruise ships from all over the world:

You need to come here because of this unique miracle of nature - the Komodo dragon! This terrifying, deadly monitor lizard lives on the island. This is his home.

So, Komodo dragons are giant lizards, reaching a length of 3 meters and weighing up to 150 kg! The natural lifespan of monitor lizards in the wild is probably around 50 years.

Handsome. Komodo dragons feed on a wide variety of animals. Their victims are fish, sea ​​turtles, wild boars, buffalos, deer and reptiles. Also, repeated cases of attacks on people have been recorded.

At first glance, these lizards seem very clumsy and unhurried. However, when running over short distances, the monitor lizard can reach speeds of up to 20 km/h. They hunt relatively large prey from ambush, sometimes knocking the victim down with blows of his powerful tail, often breaking its legs in the process.

Monitor lizards are at the top of the island's food chain. And this is their prey - a deer:

Reptiles do not have poisonous teeth, but their bite is most often fatal. Having tracked a deer, wild boar or other large prey in the bushes, the monitor lizard attacks and tries to inflict a laceration on the animal, into which many bacteria from the oral cavity are introduced. As a result of such an attack, the victim experiences blood poisoning, the animal gradually weakens and dies after some time. The dragons of Komodo Island can only follow the victim and wait for her to die.

Tourists and monitor lizards are not separated by a fence with barbed wire, or any ditch, or anything to inspire confidence in safety. Groups of tourists are usually accompanied by rangers armed with long poles with forked ends to defend against possible dragon attacks.

As shelters, monitor lizards use holes 1-5 meters long, which they dig with their powerful paws and claws.

Komodo dragons are less dangerous to people than crocodiles or sharks. However, the number of deaths due to untimely provision medical care after bites (and, as a result, blood poisoning) reaches 99%!

To get food located at a height, the monitor lizard can stand on hind legs using the tail as support. Komodo dragons are good climbers and spend a lot of time in trees.

About 1,700 monitor lizards live on Komodo Island. On the neighboring island of Rinca there are about 1,200 individuals. According to scientists, Australia should be considered the homeland of Komodo dragons.

Cannibalism is common among Komodo dragons: adult lizards often eat smaller individuals. Therefore, as soon as the cubs are born, they immediately instinctively climb a tree, looking for shelter there.

Today there are only a few large reptiles left on Earth, the most terrible of which is the Komodo dragon, living in. Cold-blooded and not very smart, this predator, however, has a chilling sense of purpose,” this is how the famous astrophysicist Carl Sagan described Komodo dragons.

THE DISCOVERER OF THE KOMODO DIANA

The plane's engine sneezed and worked intermittently; fortunately, an island appeared right ahead, and the Dutch pilot Hendrik Van Bosse did everything possible to reach the saving land. The plane literally plowed a small beach on its belly and stuck its nose into dense vegetation tropical forest. The pilot hurriedly got out of the cockpit and, limping, ran away from the plane, and half-dressed natives were already hurrying towards him, shouting excitedly. I will disappoint the most bloodthirsty readers: the pilot was not eaten, he was very cordially received by the inhabitants of the small island of Komodo, part of the Sunda archipelago.

The mountainous islet, 30 km long and 20 km wide, was covered tropical forest, which, according to local residents, was home to “buayadarat,” or “earth crocodiles.” According to them, crocodiles reached 6-7 meters in length and calmly hunted deer and even attacked buffalo. During one of the walks, the pilot himself was able to verify the veracity of their stories, when the “log” lying in front of him suddenly came to life, rose on four powerful legs and waddled away into the dense bushes.

According to another version of the development of events, the pilot did not meet anyone after the plane crash and lived as Robinson for almost a year in a remote part of the island. He had with him firearms, so he did not starve, but he could not get used to the presence of living “dragons” on the island. Fearing that these creatures would eat him alive, he slept in the trees. The long-awaited ship still did not arrive, and he, like the hero of the popular film “Cast Away,” made a desperate decision to embark on a risky voyage on the raft he had built. After a 57-day voyage full of hardships and dangers, the exhausted pilot reached the island of Timor.

When Hendrik Van Bosse found himself in Europe, literally only a few believed his stories about the huge Komodo dragons, and these were his closest relatives and friends. For some time, Komodo dragons became a real curse for Van Bosse; mocking articles were written about him, they called him a liar, and they said that he had lost his mind as a result of the plane crash. Finally, one English officer, who ventured to hunt dinosaurs in the footsteps of the “crazy pilot,” discovered to his great surprise that he was telling the truth.

With the discovery of living “dragons,” the torment of their discoverer Hendrik Van Bosse ended; now no one called him a liar or crazy, but months of persecution were not in vain for him. It is curious that Van Bosse retired from aviation and devoted the rest of his life to studying Komodo lizards. He died in 1938. On his grave there is an inscription: “Hendrick Arthur Maria Van Bosse, aviator - from an irrepressible thirst for knowledge; lone sailor - due to misfortune; the discoverer of Komodo monitor lizards - also due to misfortune; zoologist, doctor natural sciences- as a result of deception, so as not to be considered a deceiver.”

SENSATION IN ZOOLOGY OF THE XX CENTURY

Komodo dragons turned out to be a large, previously unknown variety of monitor lizard. The discovery of Komodo dragons has become one of the biggest discoveries in zoology of the early 20th century. Alas, Chinese hunters and traders immediately flocked to the island: the cult of the dragon flourishes, and various potions made from “dragon bones” have always been in demand there and were highly valued. The skins of Komodo dragons and medicines made from their fat and bones were in great demand.

Scientists got down to business, in 1938 on the islands (in addition to Komodo monitors discovered on the neighboring islands - Rindja, Flores, Padar, Oveda, Sami and Gili Motang) created a reserve, in this moment"varanya" islands have the status national park. In 2013, the total number of monitor lizards was estimated at 3,222 individuals; in 2015, it decreased to 3,014 individuals, but in principle it remains quite stable. Alas, monitor lizards have become extinct on Padar; it is believed that this was due to the extermination of other animals on the island by poachers; the “dragons” were simply left without prey and died of starvation.

FORMID AND VORONIOUS PREDATOR

When they first arrived in Komodo, scientists did not find the 7-meter monitor lizards that local residents talked about, but 3-3.5-meter animals weighing from 130 to 160 kg were encountered quite often. Komodo dragons have attacked pigs, goats, and deer. They, of course, were not able to catch up with them; the monitor lizards simply slowly crept up, often freezing in the most absurd poses, towards the grazing animals, and then knocked them down with a powerful throw or a strong blow of their tail. There is a known case when a Komodo dragon managed to kill a powerful Indian buffalo weighing 500 kg.

The monitor lizard usually grabs the prey it catches with its mouth by the head or neck, then it makes a sharp movement, shaking the victim with such force that it breaks its vertebrae. First thing predatory reptile he rips open the belly of a killed animal and eats its entrails with pleasure, only after that he begins to eat the skin, meat and bones. Scientists timed it and found that a Komodo dragon can completely eat a 20-kilogram pig in 30 minutes. In a matter of hours, 3-4 adult monitor lizards ate a large deer weighing 100 kg.

This speed of food absorption is not surprising, because monitor lizards have 26 powerful sharp teeth 4 cm long, and they are also capable of swallowing impressive pieces of meat. The scientists were greatly surprised when in the opened stomach of one of the reptiles they saw... half a wild boar. It is amazing that when eating a deer, monitor lizards even eat its horns and hooves. Young monitor lizards usually only fuss around their feasting parents; Scientists believe that under a hot hand (sorry, paw!), large individuals may well bite their smaller relatives.

Monitor lizards do not disdain carrion, bird eggs and even insects. Sometimes a monitor lizard bursts into a flock of monkeys that have descended from a tree and, taking advantage of the fact that the poor macaques are literally numb from shock, grabs one of them and literally swallows it alive. Monitor lizards often wander along the coast, looking for carrion thrown up by the waves. They are good swimmers and can cover considerable distances in the water, steering their tail like a rudder.

Our expedition also visited Komodo in the early 60s. This is how I. Darevsky, by the way, the largest Soviet herpetologist, very colorfully described the meeting of scientists with the Komodo dragon: “A monitor lizard calmly emerged from the thickets and, not paying any attention to us, leisurely wandered along the path after the wild boars. At the same time, he did not drag his body along the ground, like many other lizards, but held it on outstretched paws, high above the ground. This sight completely shocked us: illuminated by the evening sun huge lizard looked like a prehistoric monster, somewhat reminiscent of a giant dinosaur that had long disappeared from Earth. A snake-like head with black shiny eyes and gaping ear sockets, large hanging folds of orange-brown skin on the neck gave the animal a frightening and somehow fairy-tale appearance.”

Female monitor lizards lay up to 25 eggs, the size of which reaches a length of up to 10 centimeters. Until the hatching of the small monitor lizards, the female guards the clutch. When babies are born, they immediately climb trees to avoid being eaten by their taller relatives. The lifespan of Komodo dragons is about 50-60 years; in zoos it is halved. They live in deep burrows or in crevices among rocks. Young monitor lizards often use tree hollows as shelter.

"DRAGONS" AND PEOPLE

It is believed that Komodo dragons are not dangerous to humans, but such an opinion cannot be considered unambiguous. There was a case when a monitor lizard attacked children and as a result one boy died. In another case, a man was wounded because he did not share the deer he had shot with a monitor lizard. Scientists view these incidents as unfortunate accidents. In the first case, the monitor lizard could have mistaken the child for a large monkey, and in the second, he was misled by the smell of a deer.

The last victim of Komodo dragons was a Swiss naturalist in 1978. He had long dreamed of seeing these exotic reptiles and specially went to Indonesia to look at monitor lizards and get acquainted with their habits and life. During his stay on the island, the naturalist fell behind the group, apparently deciding to engage in independent research. Nobody saw him again. The searches undertaken yielded practically nothing; only the naturalist’s glasses and camera were found. Without a doubt, this man was eaten by monitor lizards. After this tragic incident, the rangers now do not leave tourists, scientists, or journalists arriving on the island for a moment.

Monitor lizards have an excellent sense of smell, they find graves and, if they are shallow, tear them up and eat the corpses, this, of course, causes great discontent among local residents. True, in recent years the graves began to be covered with massive slabs and their destruction by monitor lizards stopped. The sense of smell helps monitor lizards find carrion on the shore or a wounded animal at a very considerable distance.

Tourists with minor wounds and scratches and even women on so-called difficult days can arouse increased interest in monitor lizards and provoke their attack.

Monitor lizard bites are very dangerous. Due to the fact that they feed on carrion, their mouths contain a mass of pathogenic microbes, a reptile bite can result in blood poisoning, loss of a limb, or death. In addition, scientists have established the presence of a poisonous gland in monitor lizards. It turns out that they are also poisonous. That is why these reptiles should not be considered safe. At the same time, monitor lizards in zoos usually do not cause any complaints from staff; they are obedient, peaceful and not picky about food.

Komodo dragons are the largest lizards in the world. These are unique animals: they are excellent swimmers, they can climb trees, they have an excellent sense of smell and, to top off the list, they are very poisonous. The bite of a monitor lizard can be fatal to humans.

The monitor lizard has many names - Komodo dragon, Komodo dragon, and the locals call it ora or buaya darat(“land crocodile”).

These giants live only on a few islands located in the group of the Lesser Sunda Islands - about. Komodo, o. Rinka, o. Gili Motang and Fr. Flores.

Adult males reach 2.5 - 3 meters and weigh 70 kilograms. Although there is evidence that the largest specimen reached a length of 3.13 meters and weighed 166 kilograms. Females are smaller and reach a length of only 1.5 - 2 meters. The length of the monitor lizard's tail is approximately half the length of the body. The color is dark brown; young individuals have bright yellowish spots on their backs. The mouth is equipped with teeth with cutting edges, which are suitable for tearing meat into pieces.

Monitor lizards are diurnal animals. During the hottest time of the day they hide in the shade, and in the afternoon they go out hunting. At night they sleep soundly in their shelters. Young monitor lizards are excellent climbers and live in hollows for their own safety.

Komodo dragons are excellent swimmers. They can safely swim across small rivers, bays, or cover the distance to neighboring nearby islands. True, there is one “but” here. They cannot survive in water for more than 15 minutes. And if they don’t manage to get to land, they drown. Perhaps it was this factor that influenced the natural boundaries of the habitat of these animals.

Monitor lizards run fast; over short distances, their speed can reach 20 km/h. When necessary, they can stand on their hind legs, using their powerful tail as support.

They dont have natural enemies. They themselves will destroy anyone. But they happily feed on young monitor lizards predator birds And large snakes.

Komodo dragons are omnivores. They eat everyone from large insects and ending with horses, buffalos and other monitor lizards. Yes, yes, intraspecific cannibalism is common among these lizards. This is especially true during famine years. Adults often eat smaller relatives.

They wait in ambush for their prey. Sometimes they knock her down with a blow from her huge tail, breaking her legs. Large specimens prefer carrion, which they provide for themselves. The thing is that they cause a lacerated wound to the animal, which becomes infected. Inflammation of the wound and blood poisoning occurs. After some time the animal dies. The monitor lizard, thanks to its forked tongue, which is an organ of smell, finds the corpse of a victim even at a distance of several kilometers. Other monitor lizards also come running to the smell of carrion. A fight begins, the purpose of which is to establish dominance among the males.

The monitor lizard can swallow small prey whole, but tear large prey into pieces. Females and young animals mainly feed on what is left from dinner or on birds and small animals.

The breeding season for monitor lizards begins in winter, during the dry season. The number of males is 2 times greater than the number of females. Therefore, ritual battles for females take place at this time.

After mating, after 6-7 months, the female goes in search of places to lay eggs. Most often they become nests of weed chickens, large compost heaps or high piles of fallen leaves. She digs a deep hole there and lays 20 eggs, each weighing 200 grams. The female guards her nest for 8-8.5 months until the small monitor lizards hatch. Immediately after their appearance, their self-preservation instinct kicks in and before they are eaten, they climb the neighboring trees. They live there for the first 2 years.

Many have heard that a lizard bite can be fatal. It turns out that their saliva contains 57 different strains of bacteria, causing inflammation wounds and blood poisoning. It is believed that these bacteria came from eating carrion. This is true, but here lies another secret.

More recently, in 2009, scientists at the University of Melbourne proved that monitor lizards have poisonous glands that are located on the lower jaw. They secrete a poison containing various toxic proteins that stop blood clotting, reduce blood pressure, muscle paralysis and loss of consciousness. The ducts of these glands are located at the base of the teeth, and the poison is mixed with saliva, which contains many bacteria.

Monitor lizards are dangerous for humans, this applies to a greater extent to him poisonous bites. If you don't apply for it in time medical care, then death cannot be avoided. They pose a particular danger to children. During famine years, there are recorded cases of children dying from these monsters. There are known cases of monitor lizards digging up corpses from graves.

It is forbidden to kill these animals. They are listed in the IUCN Red List. A national park was organized especially for them on Komodo Island.