My wonderful place (komodo Island)

I visited Indonesia’s Komodo Island,
home to the largest living species of
lizard, by ship during a cruise from
Sydney to Singapore. The huge Komodo
dragon, weighing up to 70 kg (150
pounds) and two to three metres (7 to 10
feet) in length, is probably the remnant
of a population of large lizards, which
once existed in Australia and Indonesia.
Now native to four Indonesian islands
including Komodo, the animals became
isolated there after sea levels rose some
900,000 years ago.
One of the Republic of Indonesia’s
17,500 islands, Komodo, with an area
of 390 square km (150 square miles),
has more than 4,000 human inhabitants,
many of whom are descended from
convicts exiled to the island who
intermingled with tribes from Sulawesi
and elsewhere. Situated between the
larger islands of Flores and Sumbawa,
Komodo is visited not only by those
wishing to view the largest living lizard
but also by scuba divers.
As our ship approached to Komodo,
anticipation ran high among the
passengers. The scenery in the bay
where we anchored was dramatic as
the island had a green forest cover,
which contrasted with the deep blue
surrounding waters. During my shore
excursion I visited Komodo National
Park, established in 1980. Designated
in 1986 as both a World Heritage Site
and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by
UNESCO, the park harbours not only
the iconic Komodo dragon but also
such mammals as the Timor deer and an
endemic rat. The marine environment,
hosting, among other creatures, over
1,000 fish species, constitutes two-thirds
of the national park.
After proceeding ashore by tender,
I walked with a group accompanied
by a ranger along a well-marked milelong
forest trail. During that walk, we
encountered dragons in four locations.
I observed that the tail of the Komodo
dragon is nearly a long as its body and
that the animal has a long, yellow-forked
tongue. I had read that the animal has
about 60 serrated teeth up to 2.5 cm
(one inch) long. The lizard is capable of
running up to 20 km/hour (12.4 miles/
hour) for brief periods. When young it
can even use its claws to climb trees.
The dragon has also been known to stand
on its hind legs, using its tail for support
in order to reach its prey.
First recorded by Western scientists in
1910, the Komodo dragon, classified as
a vulnerable species, eats mostly carrion.
However, the dragon will also attempt