KOMODO by YUNG DRUGG & LIL BOOF

released October 1, 2018

CREDITS: LIL BOOF, YUNG DRUGG, JMK INSTRUMENTALS, LUCID SOUNDZ, CAM J GOT HITS


Facts about Komodo Dragons:

For a long time, it was believed that a Komodo dragon's bite was so dangerous because of the massive number of bacteria thriving in its mouth. As a scavenger beast, its bite must be filled with the deadly microorganisms of rotting flesh and would infect and kill any victim.

The truth, however, was discovered by Bryan Fry, a venom researcher at the University of Melbourne in Australia, who found that the Komodo dragon is indeed one of the few venomous lizards on the planet. It wasn't until 2009 that the decades-long myth of how Komodo dragons kill was finally slayed, and replaced with the truth, thanks in great part to Fry's research.

According to National Geographic, "The team found that the dragon's venom rapidly decreases blood pressure, expedites blood loss, and sends a victim into shock, rendering it too weak to fight. In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, western Australia's inland Taipan."
Unlike a snake, however, which injects venom into a victim through its sharp fangs, a Komodo dragon's venom seeps into large wounds it makes on an animal it attacks. The animal may escape the grip of the dragon, but it won't escape the venom that will eventually bring it down. By then, the Komodo dragon will be not far behind, tracking down its fleeing victim with its keen sense of smell.

3. Inspiration for 'King Kong'

Only reports of myth and mystery existed until explorers set off to confirm the existence of this fearsome prehistoric beast.
Only reports of myth and mystery existed until explorers set off to confirm the existence of this fearsome prehistoric beast. (Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock)
While some myths about Komodo dragons are put to rest, others create even more interesting works of fiction. The Komodo dragon became inspiration for the film "King Kong."

BBC Wildlife explains:

In 1912, a Dutch army man, Lieutenant van Steyn van Hensbroek, visited Komodo Island, shot a dragon dead and sent the skin to naturalist, Peter Ouwens, who wrote the first-ever scientific paper on the massive lizards. Fourteen years later, American W. Douglas Burden set off to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to capture a dozen giant lizards for the American Museum of Natural History. His memoir of the expedition Dragon Lizards of Komodo, gave the dragons their nickname and its tales of adventures and confrontations with the ‘hoary beast’ inspired the movie King Kong.
The movie's female lead role is said to be inspired by Burden's wife, who went along during his expedition to Indonesia. Meanwhile, the plot line of the great ape being carried back to New York is inspired by Burden bringing back two live Komodo dragons for the Bronx Zoo. Even the 'K' of King Kong is said to be inspired by the hard 'K' of Komodo.

4. Komodo dragons can take down enormous prey

Komodo dragons themselves are massive animals. Measuring as much as 8.5 feet long and weighing as much as 200 pounds, it's no surprise then that they can take down animals as large as wild boar, deer and water buffalo.

To catch their prey, they use an ambush strategy. Matching well with the dirt surroundings of their island home, they lie in wait for an unsuspecting animal to pass by. They then sprint into action, landing a venomous bite before the victim can escape.

While filming for BBC's Planet Earth II, cameraman Mark MacEwan got a chance to see the predators in action. In an interview with Motherboard, he notes, "Komodo dragons are ambush predators, and it's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security," continued MacEwen. "And then suddenly, one of them moves explosively. Huge claws, armor-plated skin — I mean, it's pretty much the ultimate predator. It's an absolutely amazing creature."

8. Komodo dragons can eat 80% of their weight in one sitting

Komodo dragons can eat so much at one sitting that they may go as long as a month before needing another meal.
Komodo dragons can eat so much at one sitting that they may go as long as a month before needing another meal. (Photo: Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock)
Not only are Komodo dragons big in size, but they have an appetite to match. When the massive lizards sit down to a meal, they are capable of swallowing down as much as 80 percent of their own body weight in food.

The huge feast and slow digestion mean that after eating, Komodo dragons will go lounge in the sun, with the heat helping to keep their digestion process working away. After the meal is digested, a Komodo dragon will regurgitate what is known as a gastric pellet. Similar to owl pellets, the gastric pellet contains horns, hair, teeth and other bits of prey that can't be digested.

Because their metabolism is fairly slow and they can pound down so much in a single sitting, Komodo dragons can survive on as little as one meal a month.

5. Komodo dragons are infamous for grave robbing

Komodo dragons don't always — or even often — hunt for their meals. Instead, they eat a lot of carrion. They can detect a carcass as far as six miles away.

Unfortunately for humans living among the dragons, that can mean that they feast on the recently buried. This has caused people living on Komodo to switch from graves on sandy ground to clay ground, and add a pile of rocks on top of the grave for good measure.

6. Female Komodo dragons can reproduce without sex

Komodo dragons lay clutches of eggs that hatch in April, when there are a large number of insects for the small hatchlings to feast on.
Komodo dragons lay clutches of eggs that hatch in April, when there are a large number of insects for the small hatchlings to feast on. (Photo: Ethan Daniels/Shutterstock)
These ancient beasts remind us not only of the prehistoric dinosaurs featured in the classic movie "Jurassic Park," but their reproductive behavior harkens back to something highlighted in the film as well.

In 2006, a group of researchers verified that female Komodo dragons can reproduce asexually through a process called parthenogenesis. When no males are present, females can still lay a viable clutch of eggs.