Week 8 Topic: When In Rome
bonus points (hard, 2 points): Use 3 words that start with the letter Q.
bonus points (easy, 1 point): Mention Komodo Island.
I traveled to Indonesia last year for a scuba diving adventure. There was much beauty to be found among the coral reefs surrounding the islands. We began our adventure at Bali, with the plan to sail downward to Alor, stopping along the way for diving at choice spots. Komodo Island was one of the places we planned to stop at.
While diving there, we decided we would go ashore and explore the island a bit, having heard about it's famous inhabitants. Many people visit Komodo Island because it is one of the world's greatest wildlife regions.
The Komodo dragon is the most famous resident of Komodo Island. These dragons are the largest and fiercest monitor lizards. They are living dinosaurs. They have been extinct except in fossilized form for 130 million years, with the exception of this tiny island chain. Although they do not eat people, they are very deadly, and have been known to attack humans. They have razor sharp teeth. Their bite has enough bacteria to kill over 2000 rodents, so if untreated by a doctor, their bite will kill. Komodo dragons only live in the Komodo Islands. They average 7.5 ft in length, approximately 100 lbs in weight, maximum length 10 feet, and maximum weight 300 lbs. Most of their day is spent lounging in the sun waiting for food to walk by. Once it kills and eats, it goes back into it's hole to sleep. One of the islands, Komodo National Park, has been turned into a komodo dragon reserve.
We left our boat and headed to shore aboard the inflatable dinghies. Having reached the shore, we were given a guide who gave us an introduction to the island.
The region is abounding with mountains, inactive volcanos, rocky ground, and sheer, perpendicular ravines. It is very dry, thorny, and dense. We were warned to never venture off alone, and that women who are menstruating are not allowed to journey out at all. This seemed unlikely, but with a firm belief in the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do," (meaning - adapt to the culture of the places you visit), we therefore decided that he knew best, since he was well qualified for the job.
The dragon has a keen sense of smell, is totally unconfined, and can travel at 18 kilometers per hour. The guide advised us that the long stick he held would repel any dragon advances, unless, of course, the smell of blood was in the air.
Our first destination would be a watering hole at Banunggulung. Dragons were known to frequent the watering hole because of the prey that were always present. We were also warned to be watchful of cobras, as well as other snakes that were common here.
As we walked along with the guide, we heard a terrible crashing noise in the brush. A dragon was there, consuming a deer that he had slaughtered with his huge teeth and jaws.
The guide told us that the dragon will eat everything, even bones and hide. To swallow big chunks of meat, the dragon has movable joints in its skull and jaws that allow the lower jaw to be opened unusually wide. Its throat and jaw muscles allow it to swallow huge chunks of meat rapidly.
They often hunt by what is sometimes called the lurk n' lurch method. They lie hidden along game paths used by animals going to waterholes. When the prey animal passes nearby, the Komodo ambushes it. If the prey is a large animal, the Komodo dragon sinks it's jaws into the leg. When the animal is down, it then goes for the throat and belly. If the prey if small, it goes directly for the throat and belly. It also used it's powerful claws to rip their bellies open.
We continued on to the watering hole, and found several Komono dragons lying around. They seemed unconcerned about our intrusion. We got to observe yet another vicious attack when a pig approached the water.
There was a ferocious struggle, but the pig had no chance. The huge razor sharp teeth had the pig ripped to shreds in a matter of moments. The haunting shrieks and squeals from the pig were eerie. I was quite nervous to be trapped in such a quandary, sitting so near and unable to move. I was all too glad when the guide quickly led us away.
As we arrived back at the pier, we had to purchase souvenirs of our adventures in the quaint souvenir shops. We bought carved dragons, many more than we planned.
We were quite grateful to return to our boat, and leave the Komodo dragons behind.
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