Don't Move! Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodoensis, Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A decade or so ago I went to Rinca - one of several islands in eastern Indonesia where Komodo Dragons are endemic (www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/1355595323/in/photolis...). I watched as a couple of these huge Lizards prowled for and hunted down a buffalo; they like to hunt in groups. Utterly fascinating and a bit scary, too.
There's still lots unknown about their habits and indeed their anatomical structure. Of course, they've been known to western naturalists only since 1910, so there's still much to learn. The other day in the Amsterdam Zoo, I watched their lethargy so different from their stalking behavior on Rinca. In the Zoo they don't really need to stalk at all because they're provided with all they want free of charge or exertion.
One seemed to be watching me, though. A little uncanny even if there was thick glass separating us. I was very still and unmoving and I realised then that it likely wasn't even seeing me. These Dragons' eyes function much as those of any lizard: they have difficulty seeing still objects; it's movement that alerts them. Thus Our Komodos can sense the movement of - say - a buffalo from a great distance. But quiet me? I doubt it.
Don't Move! Komodo Dragon, Varanus komodoensis, Amsterdam Zoo ARTIS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
A decade or so ago I went to Rinca - one of several islands in eastern Indonesia where Komodo Dragons are endemic (www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/1355595323/in/photolis...). I watched as a couple of these huge Lizards prowled for and hunted down a buffalo; they like to hunt in groups. Utterly fascinating and a bit scary, too.
There's still lots unknown about their habits and indeed their anatomical structure. Of course, they've been known to western naturalists only since 1910, so there's still much to learn. The other day in the Amsterdam Zoo, I watched their lethargy so different from their stalking behavior on Rinca. In the Zoo they don't really need to stalk at all because they're provided with all they want free of charge or exertion.
One seemed to be watching me, though. A little uncanny even if there was thick glass separating us. I was very still and unmoving and I realised then that it likely wasn't even seeing me. These Dragons' eyes function much as those of any lizard: they have difficulty seeing still objects; it's movement that alerts them. Thus Our Komodos can sense the movement of - say - a buffalo from a great distance. But quiet me? I doubt it.