In a video (above) that has since gone viral, a Komodo dragon is seen just after catching its prey, a turtle. The giant lizard chooses an interesting way to devour his meal, with his head jammed into the turtle’s shell. Once he is done feeding, he can be seen emerging from the shell and casting it aside.
The Komodo dragon is extremely well-equipped to handle most prey. The largest and heaviest lizard in the world, it is found on Indonesian islands of the Lesser Sunda group. It has powerful legs, sharp claws and shark-like teeth at its disposal and like to “rely on camouflage and patience, lying in wait for passing prey.”
It also spews deadly venom from the glands in its mouth, which leads to a quickened rate of blood loss in the victim, followed by toxic shock. As a result, no one can escape a Komodo’s attack for too long. All the lizard needs to do is calmly track the victim down again.
Here are videos about the composition of a turtle’s shell and Komodo dragons observed hunting in the wild.
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