JC. Princen Komodo Island (Pulau Komodo – Indonesian) and Rinca Island are the only habitats in the world for Komodo. For this reason, the existence of Komodo is very protected to prevent Komodo from extinction.
Komodo (Varanus komodoensis) is a predator, the last and the only giant lizard in the world. They can wait hours for a sizable meal to wander within range before launching a deadly attack with their large, curved, serrated teeth. Komodo dragons usually hunt for prey that is weak or injured. Komodo only needs one deadly venomous bite to conquer their prey and eat it for days. Animals weigh about 165 kg or 100 kg when the Komodo stomach is empty. We can find these endangered animals only in Komodo National Park.
Komodo National Park
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The Komodo National Park was declared A World Heritage Site and Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1986. At its peak on November 11, 2011, the New 7 Wonders announced that the island was among seven World Wonder winners along with the Amazon forest, Halong Bay, Iguazu waterfall, Jeju Island, Puerto Princesa River and Table Mountain.
Komodo National Park includes three main islands, Komodo Island, Rinca Island and Padar Island, plus other small islands with an area of 603 square kilometres. Considering the importance of conserving the habitat of Komodo dragons, the Komodo National Park is expanded to 25 sq km reaching Banta Island and 479 sq km of marine waters. In total, around 2500 Komodo dragons are living in this region. They live in savannas, rainforests, white sand beaches and coral reefs.
What’s On in Komodo National Park?
As well as being home to the Komodo dragon, the Park provides refuge for many other notable terrestrial species, such as the orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic rat, and the Timor deer. Moreover, the Park includes one of the richest marine environments, including coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, seamounts, and semi-enclosed bays. These habitats harbour more than 1,000 species of fish, some 260 species of reef-building coral, and 70 species of sponges. Dugong, sharks, manta rays, and at least 14 species of whales, dolphins, and sea turtles also make Komodo National Park their home.
What distinguishes Komodo on Rinca and Komodo Islands? At Komodo Island, the natural condition is dominated by more forests, while there are more savannahs on Rinca Island. The savannah on Rinca Island is very wide, visible barren to the top of the hill. But that is what is an interesting sight on Rinca Island. The condition of the geographical contours on Rinca Island, which has more savanna and tends to heat the weather, also makes Komodo will be more aggressive than on Komodo Island.
Location
Komodo National Park is located between Sumbawa Island and Flores Island. It’s administratively located in Komodo District, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara. Uniquely, this Park is located in the Wallace area of Indonesia. The Wallace region is formed from a meeting of two continents that form a unique row of volcanic islands and consists of a mixture of birds and animals from Australia and Asia. That is why Komodo National Park has 254 species of plants, 58 species of animals and 128 species of birds. No wonder if not only dragons that we can meet here but also horses, wild bulls, deer, male wild boar and various types of birds.
How to reach Komodo National Park
Reaching the National Park of Komodo is relatively easy. Daily flights are available on the route Bali – Labuan Bajo or Komodo Island Airport – Bali, each of which takes about 1.5 hours. If the weather allows you try a motorboat that connects between islands from Sape in West Nusa Tenggara. Pelni ships from Bali and Lombok stop here every two weeks.
Important Note;
Komodo has a strong sense of smell and can smell blood up to 5 kilometres; for security reasons, menstruating women should not visit Komodo Island and Rinca Island because it is more vulnerable to attack by Komodo.
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