Overview
Amid the beautifully stretching ‘equator emerald’ of the Indonesian archipelago, lies Pulau Komodo – the mountainous little island featuring a range of volcanic rocks wrapped with grassland, palm, and pouches of jungle. Stretching 35 km long with around 280 km2 width, this island is a home for world’s largest lizard, locally named as ‘ora’ which elsewhere known as “The Komodo Island Monitor” or “The Komodo Dragon.”

Komodo National Park
Komodo National Park has been established on 1980, and was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1991, is listed as a Man And the Biosphere Reserve and is world famous for its endemic Komodo Dragons. At first, the park was only concerned on the near-extinction Komodo. The lizard, which has 22 kinds of bacteria in its mouth, was found by JKH Van Steyn on 1911. Komodo can also be found in Rinca Island, Gili Motang Island, and in numerous islands nearby Komodo Island.

The 219,322 ha. Komodo National Park, including Mbeliling and Nggorang Protection Forests and Way Wuul-Mburak Nature Reserve.As Komodos are also found outside the Komodo Island itself, the park comprises the two main islands of Komodo and Rinca alongside several small islands, a slice of mainland Flores and of course the surrounding waters.

Komodo National Park’s islands are rough with steep rock faces, small creeks and bays. The maximum elevation of 827 m, the Komodo Island features a hilly to mountainous rocks. Large pieces of Komodo Island consist of open grassland and savanna with Lontar Palms, while smaller sections of the island feature tropical decidous, quasi-cloud forest and two small mangrove areas.

The Rinca Island is generally ruffed with rolling hills with the 667 m height Doro Ora peak at the south, the 187 m height low sheer peaks of Tumbah Mount and the 321 m height Doro Raja. The park also hosts numerous coral reefs which relatively little damage from dynamite fishing. It is because the reefs are little-explored, though they offer fabulous underwater landscape.

Beside as the habitat of the well-known Komodo dragon, the park is also the home for around 150 kinds of birds, alongside about 1000 kinds of fishes and sea mammals. One kind of numerous fishes is the napoleon fish, which can be easily recognized by its thick lips and wide forehead. Its meat is so delicious, while the fish priced high.

About The Lizard
The komodo dragon, locally known as ‘ora’ (latin: Varanus komodoensis) can reach 300 pounds in weight with 10 feet length or can be more, especially after they having meals. This creature is the top predator in the island prey on dogs, goats, rats, snakes, other komodo dragons, and rarely humans.

They chase by surprise attack, hiding in the tall grass of the savannas and in the scrub brush along trails. Regardless of its clumsy look, this pre-historic lizard can accelerate in rapidly – ambushing from its hiding places and dashing to the shocked preys.

Komodo dragons bring toxic bacteria in their mouths, so even if they don't grab their victims straight away, the hit is often deadly. They track the smell of their prey as the wounded animal slowly weakens from the infected bite by using their long forked tongues. This process can take several days. When the victim no longer able to run away, they draw near to a finish.

Komodo dragons are greedy eaters. They demolish every slice of their prey with their razor-sharp serrated teeth and swallowing the bits entirely. Despite of its scary behaviors, komodo dragon play their important role in ecology. Without them, the prey species might be overpopulate and degrade their island habitat.

Komodo dragons are cannibals – small komodos are sometime preyed on by the adults. That is why, the young komodo dragons live in trees, feeding on insects, until they're about a year old and three feet long. Then they move permanently to the ground, without worry of being preyed on by others.

Komodo dragons do not survive well in captivity, and they often die from infections and parasitic diseases. Their yellow tongue and repulsive mouth odor may have been the inspiration for legends of fire-breathing dragons.