K IS FOR KOMODO DRAGON : A-Z Challenge

Welcome to Day 11 of the A-Z Blogging Challenge. My theme is:

'Wildlife Encounters'

Edited extract from one of my articles published in Air Nuigini’s in-flight magazine. (This post is longer than my usual posts, but I'm hoping its entertainment value will make you feel it worth reading.)

The Komodo dragon, or Komodo monitor, is the world's largest and heaviest lizard. It has a tail so powerful, one swipe can break a buffalo's leg. It is said to disembowel its victim first to feast on the toothsome entrails.

Our small boat cruised into a deep, secluded inlet on the island of Rinca in the Komodo National Park. We followed a trail through mangroves to a small settlement of houses built on stilts(!) to meet our guide. A large lizard was reclining close by, immense and quiet as a crocodile. I was alarmed and fascinated in equal measure by his hypnotic lidless stare. So much fresh meat!

Arif, carried a forked pole. He explained that the forked end was fashioned to hold the lizard's mouth shut to prevent it from biting. No one pointed out the absurdity of expecting a flimsy pole to hold back a three metre long monster, jaws closed or not. Why scare the guide?

It was time for our dragon-spotting walk. 

We soon spotted a lizard plodding along about twenty metres from us. Arif appeared unconcerned. He paused to point out large mounds of disturbed earth. They were megapode nests.

Also known as incubator birds, megapodes are about the size of a domestic chicken. Unfortunately for megapodes, Komodo dragons target their nest mounds, either to lay their own eggs in them, or to steal the birds’ eggs.

Our lizard had now reached the mounds and began to dig.

A megapode bird arrived on the scene. 

What transpired next was like watching David take on Goliath. The plucky bird scratched the ground to unearth small stones and flick them at the lizard. I couldn’t believe this puny effort would have an effect, but the lizard paused in its digging. The megapode kept up the pressure, strutting perilously close to the lizard and continuing to flick stones at it. To our astonishment the animal gave up.

Heaving itself out of the hole, the dragon now turned its attention on the little group of spectators. 

Opportunistic and intelligent it began to approach us, tongue flickering as if tasting the air to pinpoint the juiciest victim. 

I was crouched down, absorbed with taking photos: my husband yanked me to my feet and drew me backwards. 

We need not have worried. Arif stepped forwards with his forked pole and pushed the animal’s head. The lizard turned aside and plodded away.

We smiled in surprised relief: a flimsy pole had vanquished Varanus komodoensis, the largest lizard in the world.

See you tomorrow – I’m heading south west. Can you guess where and what the next animal will be?

If you want to blog-hop to the next A-Z Challenge blog, please click HERE