Meet Aanjay and Titus two of our very own komodo dragons here at ZooTampa at Lowry Park! Komodo dragons are known for being the largest lizards on Earth, an adult male can grow up to 8 ft. long and, in some cases, and adult males can grow to 12 ft. – whoa!
Young Komodo dragons live in trees to avoid falling prey to older members of the species. They are also much smaller and more sinuous than the adults, allowing them to live in trees. At 8 years, they grow too large to be arboreal, alter their diet, and become terrestrial.
A normal adult Komodo dragon diet consists of a variety of large prey including deer, pigs, goats and even other smaller Dragons. Here at the Zoo we pace out their calories so it comes to them in one big meal every 4 to 6 weeks to mimic how they would feed in the wild. In between these large feeding, little mice and chicks are hid throughout their habitat for exercise and enrichment.
Komodo Dragons are classified as an endangered species; they are in severe danger in their natural environments as hunting and habitat loss, along with a shortage of prey, has led to population declines on the few Indonesian islands where they are found.
You can visit our komodo dragons in the Asia realm of the Zoo! You can symbolically adopt a komodo dragon here.
