You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby ClintonT » Wed Sep 23, 2009 8:56 pm

Awesome BV, thanks for sharing pics
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby chondro3000 » Thu Sep 24, 2009 6:57 am

Yes the Pta zoo's female's babies (if she breeds in the UK) would most likely come back to the zoo and we could start a breeding program this side as well, I think they are awesome and berfore I retire I must have one in my collection :smt007
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Bushviper » Thu Sep 24, 2009 1:22 pm

As far as I know there are no Komodos in private hands at this stage. That will change as and when the breeding increases. Zoos have to sell off excess stock and then they eventually end up in the trade. Most will however be on the studbook. Between zoos I was given a price of $20 000 a baby so they will not be cheap.

One baby was confiscated in a sting in the US when Anson Wong was set up and bust. Just because of the publicity involved most private deals and treated with sceptisism.

The biggest threat the Komodos face is over population of the islands by humans. They breed well (the Komodos that is) and if enough food is provided they produce decent clutches of eggs. The dense foliage is critical for the babies to hide from the adults but with humans chopping this down for fire wood they are at a disadvantage. Recently they have attacked two kids after the bunny huggers made the authorities stop feeding the Komodos.
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Hustler » Thu Sep 24, 2009 7:53 pm

Not to seem cold hearted or anything but I see some of the deaths as a good sort of thing, because the more fear instilled in the locals then the less likely will they want to move in on these poor beauties areas.... Ofcourse there's a negative side to it though. Herman and Indi are really really just too awesome! Loving them ;) .
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Warren Klein » Fri Sep 25, 2009 9:01 am

I think the deaths would be more negative for the Komodos in the wild. Man has always been known to hunt and kill the things he feared and did not understand. Competition with people over space and resources are the biggest threats wildlife is faced with in the modern world and even more so on small islands.
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby froot » Sat Sep 26, 2009 8:45 pm

I think with PTA zoos experience they could even breed these.


I hope so, they killed the last pair I saw there. I was told that they died because they were fed only on fresh meat instead of carion, apparently they get the digestive bacteria in their mouths from the food they eat in the wild. Can anybody confirm this?
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby top dog » Mon Sep 28, 2009 1:09 pm

I have seen the big male in the london zoo and it is a beast, looks way over 100kg, got to have on one day, just not so sure how i would find the space.
thanks for the heads up bv will def swing past the zoo this weekend to check it out
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby addonexis » Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:40 pm

wow that is nice. they are prob the greatest lizard on earth.
I'd love to be able to keep a pair of those beauties.
I will put it in a mayonaise jar, with a stick and a leaf to recreate its natural enviroment
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby LeglessDragon » Mon Sep 28, 2009 2:50 pm

Froot - The only time I heard the same was a national geographic special on them. They need the carion for the salava and digestion. That is also why they just have to bite prey and wait a while before going to look for the victim. The bacteria in their mouths kills the prey!
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Reptard » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:47 pm

Question:

There was a wild Komodo show on Nat Geo quite a while back, which said that even to touch their skin, would be highly poisenous. Is this true????

Im sure I saw a post that somebody stroked the last ones at the zoo... :smt017
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby fredsmith » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:16 pm

Reptard wrote:There was a wild Komodo show on Nat Geo quite a while back, which said that even to touch their skin, would be highly poisenous. Is this true????

I read of a story somewhere where a biologist studying them in the wild cut his hand on the skin of one whilst taking samples and had to be air-lifted to a hospital within a matter of hours?
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Buck Rogers » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:39 pm

froot wrote: I hope so, they killed the last pair I saw there. I was told that they died because they were fed only on fresh meat instead of carion, apparently they get the digestive bacteria in their mouths from the food they eat in the wild. Can anybody confirm this?


I was at the PTA zoo a year ago and I was very upset with the condition of the previous Komodo's. Huge ticks on them and not healthy looking, also the room felt very cold (granted it was winter). I hope the zoo has improved because at one point it was a very pretty and clean zoo.
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Warren Klein » Wed Oct 07, 2009 11:12 am

There was a wild Komodo show on Nat Geo quite a while back, which said that even to touch their skin, would be highly poisenous. Is this true????


When Komodos feed on a decaying animal carcass in the wild, they literally get stuck into it! They crawl right into the body cavity of their prey and would get blood and guts all over their bodies thus spreading the harmful bacteria especially when feeding along side other dragons. Their rough skin laid with osteoderms would harbor this bacteria too. Komodo dragons don't groom themselves either like a big cat does after feeding. I would suspect touching wild dragons could be more risky if you got this bacteria into any open wound. Abrasions to soft human skin could result much the same as when man handling crocs for example. I would not say Komodos have poisonous skin, just very dirty skin in the wild! The ones I touched before at the zoo looked clean and did not smell so I even gave her a kiss on the head. Not advisable but I could not resist!
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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Bernice » Tue Oct 13, 2009 9:46 am

Komodo dragons are really cool lizards!

There is even some evidence that they are smart enough to engage in basic play behavior! I cant recall the program I saw it on... I only caught it in the middle anyway... but keepers of dragons swear that they will attack and carry around a favorite item even though its not edible, and at least one dragon has tried to engage the keepers in a game of tug off war with such items!

Also in a more recent program on Komodo's they mention that the females are Parthenogenic! (ie can give 'virgin birth') and that a twist of genetic chemistry makes all such immaculate offspring genetically distinct males! COOL! can anyone confirm or deny this?

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Re: You saw it first right here. Komodo dragon!

Postby Bushviper » Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:02 am

Bernice the Komodos at the zoo are a result of the first confirmed virgin birth. The one is a bastard and killed one sibling and nearly killed another. I think that is why they sent him to us.
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