Land of the Largest Lizard: Why Something So Large Lives on an Island So Small

What was named first: the lizard or the island? The Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on earth, was named after the Komodo Island in the Republic of Indonesia in Southeast Asia. Stretching westward from the province of Aceh alongside southern Thailand and Malaysia across the top of Australia to the eastern province of Papua next to Papua New Guinea, Indonesia is an archipelago with 17,508 islands. Although only about 6,000 islands are populated, it has over 238 million people making it the world’s fourth most populous country. Almost at its southernmost part, between the island of Sumbawa and Flores, part of the Lesser Sunda chain, is the island of Komodo in the province of East Nusa Tenggara. Komodo Island has an area of only 390 square kilometers – 150 square miles. That’s the same size as Lough Neagh, the largest lake in Northern Ireland; or the size of Malta’s largest island; or less than half the size of Hong Kong or Dallas, Texas; or less than a quarter the size of Sydney. On this small island lives a very large lizard: the three to four meter – 10 to 13 feet long - Komodo dragon. Although the Komodo dragon is endangered, how has it managed to live so long?

One of the reasons that the Komodo dragon has, to date, not died out is due to the remoteness of the equatorial island. Lying on a tectonic plate, the land is the site of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and monsoonal rains. In fact Komodo Island is at the juncture of two continental plates: the Sahul and the the Sunda. As these plates shift they cause volcanic eruptions from the nearby mountains of Gili Banta which last erupted in 1957, and Gunung Sangeang Api which last erupted in 1996.  The only flat ground on the island is the narrow strip of beach surrounded by mountains. The island is dry for eight months of the year, but at the top of the mountains the humidity and rainfall are high. Monsoonal rains from November to March bring westerly winds that cause waves to crash onto the west beach. Winds from April to October in the dry season bring fierce waves to the south beach. Water can surge around the rocks and reefs around the island.

Due to tidal movements between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the marine life is rich and varied. However, the separation and isolation of Komodo Island from other land masses throughout its geological evolution limited the number of animal and bird species, and therefore limited any predators. During the Pleistocene there were only a few mammal, bird, and reptile species found in the region, including crocodiles, giant tortoises, rats, snakes, and several species of Stegodon, an extinct relative of the elephant. Nowadays, mammals include the Timor deer – the main prey of the Komodo dragon – horses, water buffalo, macaques, civets, and fruit bats.

On this remote, rugged land with inclement weather, and few freshwater sources, the permanent population is only about 2,000 people, making their livelihood from fishing and breeding goats. Dutch sailors from the island of Flores heard local stories of strange fire-breathing dragons on the uninhabited islands and set out in 1910 to find the mysterious animal. Peter Ouwens, the Director of the Zoological Museum and Botanical Gardens in Bogar, Java, named the giant lizard Varanus komodoensis – dragon from Komodo. Apart from the topography, geography, climate, strong currents, coral reefs, and dangerous waters that kept the island isolated – and the Komodo dragon safe from humans and predators – another reason for their survival was the Dutch government’s regulation to protect the Komodo Island in 1915.

The most recent reason for the Komodo dragon’s preservation is the establishment of the Komodo National Park, from 1980, for the conservation of the lizard and its habitat. In 1986 UNESCO declared the Komodo National Park a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve. Actually the Komodo dragon not only lives on the island of Komodo, but also on its adjacent islands. Hence, the Komodo National Park covers three major islands: Komodo, Rinca, and Padar, and some smaller islands. Threats to the islands’ diversity, and to the Komodo dragons, are the poaching of the Timor deer herds, over-fishing and destructive fishing practices predominantly by migrant fishing folk, coral reef destruction, and pollution from sewage and chemicals. Although the original intention of the Komodo National Park founders was to save the legendary Komodo dragon, the imperative soon became the conservation of the island chain and its biodiversity. Recognizing and understanding the importance of the Komodo dragon, its habitat, and that of the terrestrial and marine environment of the islands, may ensure the survival of the giant lizard and other lesser known, but just as important, plant and animal species.  For more information on the Komodo National Park, visit http://komodonationalpark.org/.

The map source is www.coraltrianglecenter.org

 

Martina Nicolls is the author of THE KOMODO VERSES: DRAGON POEMS (ISBN: 978-1-61897-650-5), now available at http://sbpra.com/MartinaNicolls or www.amazon.com or www.barnesandnoble.com.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).