lizard

Nature Nugget – Dragons

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Found on a few small islands in the Indonesian archipelago, the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon, reigns as top predator in its world. Reaching 10 feet in length and capable of weighing well over 300 pounds, the Komodo Dragon is a member of the monitor lizard family. Local names for the giant lizard include buaja darat meaning land crocodile and Ora meaning mouth. No doubt these names originated from the ferocious appetite and predatory nature of this reptile. Able to consume up to 80 percent of its own body weight in a single meal, Komodo Dragons are carnivores and feed mostly on carrion but are quite able to make their own kills. Although they can run briefly at speeds of up to 12 mph, they prefer to hunt by ambushing with stealth and power and are capable of taking large prey such as wild boar, deer, goats, water buffalo, and occasionally humans.

The Komodo Dragon’s teeth are its most dangerous weapon. Besides being large, curved, and serrated, they contain large numbers of bacteria, which are harbored in the teeth’s serrations due to meat residues from previous meals. Some fifty different bacterial strains, of which at least seven are known to be highly septic, have been found in their saliva. Any bite from one of these dragons is fatal and will kill the victim within a few days. Komodo Dragons are immune to each other’s bite, which is of great interest to the scientific community.

Komodo Dragons have fairly good sight and hearing, but their sense of smell is their primary food detector. They smell by the use of their long, yellow, forked tongues with which they gather airborne molecules and touch them to the roof of their mouths where there are special organs called Jacobson’s Organs that act as chemical analyzers. This system, along with an undulatory walk in which the head swings from side to side, helps the dragon sense the existence and direction of odoriferous carrion from as far away as 2.5 miles when the wind is right.

Males maintain and defend a territory and patrol up to 1.2 miles per day. Territories are dependent on the size of the animal. Feeding territories extend further and are often shared with other males. Komodo Dragons are generally solitary except during the breeding season and when feeding at carcasses. Females lay 20 to 40 eggs in the ground, and the young hatch in about 8 months. The young are 15 inches at hatching and spend the first year of their life living in the trees feeding on insects. The average life span for a Komodo Dragon is around 20 years. The Komodo Dragon is listed as an endangered species, as the total world population is around 5,000 with only 350 of them being breeding age females.

There is another dragon in this world besides the Komodo Dragon, and the Bible warns us about him: “The great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 12:9, 17.

Nature – The Mountain Boomer

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The Collared Lizard is a North American lizard with a large head and powerful jaws that can reach a length of 14 inches. Black bands around the neck and shoulders give this lizard a collared look, hence its name. The mature males of this brightly colored species are green with the head often being yellow. They also have brightly colored throats of blue, green, or orange and may have blue patches on the belly. The females are generally duller with orange or salmon-colored bars or speckling on sides when gravid. Found from Missouri to Texas and west to the Pacific states and Mexico, Collared Lizards prefer hilly, rocky areas. They are diurnal, and are especially active during warm sunny weather. They bask on the warm rocks to regulate their body temperature. When the rocks get too hot they move into the shade to cool off.

Collared Lizards feed mainly on insects but will take small vertebrate prey, including mammals and other lizards, and occasionally some fruit and vegetable matter. When stalking their prey they often wave their tail like a cat. Males are very territorial toward other males and usually sit on a high rock to guard their territories and watch for danger. They go through a series of head-bobbing and push-up displays to intimidate other males that trespass and to impress passing females. Several females may live in and around a male’s territory. Females lay 4-8 eggs in loose sand or in tunnels under rocks or boulders.

The Collared Lizard is the state reptile of Oklahoma where it is fondly known as the “Mountain Boomer”. This name came from the early days when this lizard was mistakenly thought to emit a booming sound that was often heard echoing through the hills where these lizards were common. The real source of these booming sounds was probably the Barking Frog which often lives under the same rocks where the lizards bask. When fleeing predators, Collared Lizards have the ability to run bipedal on their hind legs, with their tails raised off the ground to reduce drag, making them look like tiny T-rex dinosaurs. They are relatively fast sprinters with recorded speeds of up to 16 miles per hour. When unable to outrun a predator, Collared Lizards will take shelter under large rocks and in rock crevices where they will inflate their body with air to wedge themselves tightly to prevent removal. If cornered they will threaten with open mouth revealing a black mouth lining. When captured they can bite hard and it is difficult to get them to let go. There is a regional saying that they won’t let go until it thunders.

Just as the Mountain Boomers depend on the rocks for shelter and protection, so should we Christians live in faith and depend on our rock, Christ. “He is the rock … Centuries before the advent of Christ, Moses pointed to Him as the rock of Israel’s salvation; the psalmist sung of Him as ‘my redeemer,’ ‘the rock of my strength,’ ‘the rock that is higher than I,’ ‘a rock of habitation,’ ‘rock of my heart,’ ‘rock of my refuge.’ … Isaiah describes Him as the ‘rock of ages,’ and ‘the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.’ That I May Know Him, 24. “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; The God of my rock; in him will I trust: [he is] my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.” II Samuel 22:2, 3.