Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Watch a “Quick as Lightning” Komodo Dragon Snag a Duck and Gulp It Down in One Bite
az animals ^ | April 25, 2023 | Sharon Parry

Posted on 04/26/2023 8:41:36 PM PDT by nickcarraway

The phrase ‘like a sitting duck’ comes to mind when watching this. In the below clip, we get to see a Komodo dragon approaching two ducks – the reptile is fast but the ducks actually have plenty of time to get away. For some reason, they leave it too late! The dragon approaches one of the ducks but it flaps its wings furiously and seems to be escaping. Meanwhile, the second duck assumes that it is safe and stays close by – thanking its lucky stars that it was not the target of the reptile’s attention. What a mistake that turned out to be! The Komodo dragon switches its attention to the second duck and the rest is as gruesome as it is predictable.

What Do Komodo Dragons Normally Eat?

Komodo Dragons are large and carnivorous reptiles that live in the wild in south-east Indonesia only. They are termed opportunistic predators and will target a wide variety of prey which changes with the Komodo’s life-stage. As hatchlings, they live almost exclusively on insects – mainly grasshoppers and beetles. As they mature, they start to eat larger insects as well as birds and their eggs and small lizards. Soon, they extend their diet to include larger reptiles such as geckos and small snakes and further birds. At this stage, they will also target small mammals so their diet now includes rats and shrews.

As fully grown adults, they have the ability to successfully hunt much larger animals including those that are bigger than they are. Komodo dragons have been seen hunting wild boar and water buffalo as well as Sunda deer. They can now take on larger snakes and cannibalize smaller Komodos! If they live near human settlements, they will pinch livestock such as goats. They are also perfectly happy to feed on the carcasses of dead animals – they have no taste buds!

How do Komodo Dragons detect and catch prey?

These formidable creatures have a snake-like tongue that extends out of their mouths and moves up and down. This allows them to detect odor chemicals in the air and drag them back to their vomeronasal organs to interpret them.

As we see here, they creep up and ambush their prey, grasping it by clamping the jaws quickly.

We also see here the thrashing motion that Komodos use to kill off the prey. The Komodo keeps thrashing until the prey stops moving. They have venom in their saliva so they may also just wait for the prey to die!


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: komododragons; kungfu
komodo dragon attack wild duck

Those cats were fast as lightning.

1 posted on 04/26/2023 8:41:36 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

2 posted on 04/26/2023 8:42:16 PM PDT by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

They can smell blood 2 miles away.


3 posted on 04/26/2023 8:42:31 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Captain Peter Blood

You stay 3 miles away, yuh hear?


4 posted on 04/26/2023 8:45:21 PM PDT by null and void (Attention! Non-compliant Resident Alert! Attention! Non-compliant Resident Alert! Attention! Non-com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Word is, Putin just ordered a Baker’s Dozen of those Komodo’s from Florida. He has certain experiements he wants conducted during the warmer seasons. Bio Warfare type experiements..
...for a NOVEL he’s writing in leisure time, of course! //


5 posted on 04/26/2023 9:00:40 PM PDT by lee martell
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Need to turn about two or three thousand of those things loose in Shitcago to help bring the feral population under control....LOL.


6 posted on 04/26/2023 9:01:38 PM PDT by lgjhn23 ("On the 8th day, Satan created the progressive liberal to destroy all the good that God created...")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: null and void

I saw a video recently on these things and about how far they can smell blood and one thing it said was for women on their period to stay far away from these things.


7 posted on 04/26/2023 9:12:29 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

No thanks, I like ducks more than lizards.


8 posted on 04/26/2023 9:18:33 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Captain Peter Blood

And I heard their saliva is poisonous!


9 posted on 04/26/2023 9:22:04 PM PDT by No name given (Anonymous is who you’ll know me as.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: No name given

I think that one is kind of true, they have a complex system of something like 68 different things in their saliva to help digest food and such.


10 posted on 04/26/2023 9:25:29 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Captain Peter Blood

Imagine in the age of dinosaurs. These are the small ones that other dinosaurs ate.
Rapters bigger and T-Rex’s etc. and move faster then humans.
No wonder our ancestors burrowed into the ground or climb way up in the trees!


11 posted on 04/26/2023 11:36:57 PM PDT by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway; Chode; SkyDancer; Salamander; Carriage Hill; Lockbox; MtnClimber; nascarnation; ...
What Do Komodo Dragons Normally Eat?

Any damned thing they want to or can reach Including Humans that are sleeping or not paying attention to Situational Awareness.

AEDD6-A86-170-A-4983-9-EB1-862-A96-B9-DCB6

The most recent information about: Varanus komodoensis 03/31/2023

12 posted on 04/27/2023 2:08:50 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lgjhn23

And the district of corruption !!!


13 posted on 04/27/2023 2:09:47 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: lgjhn23

Too cold. Send ‘em to the border.


14 posted on 04/27/2023 2:19:26 AM PDT by gundog (It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: gundog
Pork Roast
15 posted on 04/27/2023 2:23:30 AM PDT by mabarker1 ( (Congress- the opposite of PROGRESS!!! A fraud, a hypocrite, a liar. I'm a member of Congress!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Good thing those aren’t in America, or where Americans roam, they’d all be shot by wannabe tough guys, and another of Earth’s rare creatures extincted.


16 posted on 04/27/2023 2:57:56 AM PDT by KobraKai
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I think couple dozen released in Chicago , Portland, New York City , Philly & San Francisco would work out just fine.


17 posted on 04/27/2023 3:03:07 AM PDT by spincaster
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: mabarker1

Damn!


18 posted on 04/27/2023 5:34:25 AM PDT by Carriage Hill (A society grows great when old men plant trees, in whose shade they know they will never sit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson