©Sergey Uryadnikov/Shutterstock.com
If you thought sharks and snakes were the only predators that could swallow their prey whole, think again. One viral video shows a Komodo dragon, the largest and heaviest lizard on Earth, swallowing a dead stingray in one gulp.
The video was posted by ILLANK Adventure, a creator that posts videos on Komodo Island, one of the few islands where these massive reptiles can be found. It begins by showing us a Komodo dragon, a truly incredible hunter and scavenger which can reach up to 10 feet long and weigh more than 300 pounds. As we can guess from the clip, it likely used its keen sense of smell to locate the rotting carcass nearby. As it turns out, the Komodo dragon has found the body of a dead stingray in the shallow water.
The lizard approaches the stingray cautiously, then grabs it with its powerful jaws and lifts it out of the water. It then proceeds to swallow the entire stingray, head first, without chewing or tearing. To make matters even more impressive, the Komodo dragon doesn’t seem to care that it’s swallowing a MASSIVE spine that lives in the tail of the stingray that could potentially kill it!
Komodo Dragons: Hunters and Scavengers
©iStock.com/kiwisoul
Komodo dragons have a venomous bite of their own, which they use to subdue their prey. They can eat up to 80 percent of their body weight in one meal, and can consume almost any kind of meat, from rodents to water buffalo. They can also regurgitate the contents of their stomachs if they need to escape from a threat.
Although the Komodo dragon didn’t need a venomous bite this time around (its prey was already a few days dead), they do have the ability to take down extremely large animals, including buffalo, by biting and waiting for the animal to become weakened from the venom. The venom essentially works by increasing the blood loss of a wound and causing extreme pain, allowing the Komodo dragon to move in for a killing strike.
Where Do Komodo Dragons Live?
Komodo dragons are native to a few islands in Indonesia, where they have survived for millions of years. They are considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to habitat loss, poaching, and human encroachment on their territory. They are also protected by law in Indonesia, and are part of conservation efforts by zoos and wildlife organizations around the world.
That being said, they are still extremely dangerous and one of the few animals that will attack humans without any provocation.
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