- Komodo dragons are only found in one remote area across several volcanic islands in Indonesia.
- The reptiles are powerful carnivores. They can smell blood from miles away and move up to 12 mph.
- There are only an estimated 1,400 adult Komodo dragons and 2,000 juveniles remaining in the wild.
Known for their size, sharp teeth, and long tongues, Komodo dragons are only found on a few remote, volcanic islands in Southeast Asia.
Back in the early 1990s, rumors circulated about the existence of gigantic reptiles discovered on the islands by Western scientists. Since then, Indonesia has been promoting the area as a tourist destination.
Now, with tourist numbers predicted to grow exponentially in coming decades along with climate change, wild Komodo dragons may be at risk.
Here's a look at Komodo National Park.
The Komodo National Park is located in the South Pacific Ocean on the eastern edge of Indonesia.
About 850 square miles of sea and land make up Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Indonesian government established the park in 1980 to protect its wildlife, banning hunting or fishing across its 29 islands.
Labuan Bajo, once a small fishing town on the tip of Flores Island, is the gateway to the national park.
One of the easiest ways to get there is to take an hour-long flight from Bali.
The islands here are known for being remote, rugged, and beautiful.
A tourism project being built on the islands was dubbed Indonesia's "Jurassic Park" after a social media post of a Komodo dragon standing in front of a truck went viral.
The landscape of volcanic mountains and long grasses is reminiscent of Jurassic Park, or Kong Island.
A tourism project being built on the islands was dubbed Indonesia's "Jurassic Park" after a social media post of a Komodo dragon standing in front of a truck went viral.
Komodo National Park is also known for its marine life.
The surrounding waters are filled with thousands of types of fish and coral, as well as turtles, manta rays, and whales.
But mostly, it is known as the only place in the world where you can find wild Komodo dragons, the world's largest lizard.
The dragons have lived on five islands — Komodo, Rinca, Gili Montang, Gili Dasami, and Flores — but the majority of them are only found on Komodo and Rinca.
For the last 50 years, none have been on Padar due to the decimation of its deer population, which was their primary prey.
Komodo dragons have captured people's imagination for over 100 years.
Early in the 20th century, rumors circulated about lizards that looked like dragons living in Southeast Asia, which led to them being called "dragons."
In 1910, a Dutch officer named Jacques Karel Henri van Steyn van Hensbroek investigated the rumors and discovered they were true.
He managed to photograph a Komodo dragon and get a dragon's skin to prove their existence to the world.
Komodo dragons are large, long, and dangerous. They can smell blood from six miles away and can cover 12 miles in an hour.
They grow up to 330 pounds and 10 feet long. The reason they are so massive has been attributed to "island gigantism," which occurs when there are no competing predators on a certain piece of land.
Experts also recently found that Komodo dragons actually came from Australia and migrated to Indonesia about 900,000 years ago, when the two countries were still joined by land.
They eat all sorts of animals, including chickens, pigs, deer, smaller dragons, and buffalo.
They can consume 80% of their own weight in one meal and then go for several months without eating again. The females sometimes eat their own children.
They have glands full of poison, which lowers their prey's blood pressure and stops blood clotting.
They often kill using a "grip, rip, and drip tactic," National Geographic reported.
Their sharp teeth tear through flesh, then their powerful necks yank away leaving their prey with a huge wound that is full of poison and won't stop bleeding. Once their prey has been poisoned they will follow them until they weaken and die.
"They don't really think. They act on basic instinct and are opportunistic carnivores," Agus, a Komodo National Park guide, told the South China Morning Post. "They need meat. Any meat."
Komodo dragons have attacked and killed humans before, though it doesn't happen often.
Since 1987, there have been 16 Komodo dragon attacks on humans and four deaths, Vice reported.
In 1990, a tourist reportedly went sunbathing and was never seen again. All that was found was a camera and some sunglasses. Locals assumed he was eaten by Komodo dragons.
In 2007, a young boy went to go to the bathroom behind a bush and was killed by a Komodo dragon.
In 2009, a man fell from a tree and was killed by two Komodo dragons who were waiting below.
Despite the reptiles' predatory nature, guides still take tourists over the islands to see them, usually wielding nothing more than a large stick to keep them at bay.
Komodo dragons don't live alone on the islands. Local people live there, too.
One local told National Geographic they were used to it and that dragons were shooed off the same way one shoos away a squirrel.
There are now only an estimated 1,400 adult Komodo dragons and 2,000 juveniles left in the wild.
They were recently classified as endangered due to falling population, climate change, and human encroachment.
Compared to other predators of a similar size, Komodo dragons don't like to travel far, which means habitat loss could hurt them more.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, they don't like to go higher than about 2,300 feet above sea level, but 30% of the islands they live on will be impacted by rising temperatures and sea levels.
They are also fairly slow to breed.
After a female dragon lays her eggs — typically 15 to 30 at a time and each the size of a grapefruit — incubation takes up to eight months.
When they hatch, baby Komodo dragons are only about 12 inches long.
They are extremely vulnerable and have to live in trees for the first few years of their life to ensure they aren't killed by predators, including other Komodo dragons, before coming down to the ground.
A push for more tourism in Indonesia prompted concern for the lizards, which could cause their habitat to deteriorate.
The Indonesian government is doing its best to increase tourism across the country. In 2019, it set a goal of 20 million visiting tourists each year, with 500,000 of them going to the national park, which it dubbed one of "10 new Balis."
In 1992, there were about 1,500 visitors going to the national park every year.
Labuan Bajo has transformed from a small fishing town into a tourist destination.
The town now has multiple hotels and restaurants and more than 20 dive shops.
But it's unclear if the increased tourism is going to be sustainable. A study done in 2018 found that Komodo National Park could only sustain about 170,000 visitors to the islands each year.
Even while COVID hurt tourism, the area still got 49,719 visitors in 2020, and forecasts predict there will be more than 280,000 visitors per year in 2030.
While more tourists will provide more jobs and money for the local economy, not everyone is behind it.
Even some of the people who will earn more from it are skeptical.
"This is the last natural habitat for the Komodo dragon," Agus, the Komodo National Park guide, told South China Morning Post. "Too much tourism will not be good for the local marine life or [the park]."
"We need to balance tourism [with conservation] of the ecosystem," Agus added.
It remains to be seen whether a healthy balance can — or will — be found.
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