Komodo Dragon

Komodo Dragon
コモドドラゴン
Character Data
AKA		Komodo monitor, ora (land crocodile)
Romaji		Komodo doragon
Debut		Kemono Friends (2015 Game)
Animal Data
Scientific Name		Varanus komodoensis
Distribution		Indonesia
Diet		Carnivore
Avg. Lifespan		30 years
Read More		Komodo dragon
Conservation
Komodo Dragon's Merchandise

Komodo Dragon​

Festival​

Pavilion​

KF3​ (V2)​

Nexon Game​

Gallery

“It's me who have lineage to the venerable Komodo Dragon. To lovely person, regardless of social status i will devote all my heart to you and for anyone who dare to harm someone dear to me... ... I will not forgive any of you... ...But, if you try backstabbing me, you know what comes next right? fufufu”
—Komodo Dragon's Introduction

Komodo Dragon is a type of Friend that appeared in the original Kemono Friends mobile game.

Appearance

Much of her hair is covered by a hood attached to a ruffled capelet with a dark beige scale pattern. The ruffles, as well as the ribbon it has, are a light blue in coloration - the hood is dark blue, has a scale pattern, and glowing yellow "eyes". She has blue eyes with highlights, indicating that her species is not extinct, and also has blue lipstick. She has a dark brown shirt with blue, puffy and ruffled sleeves, which fade into a beige at the end. She has a dark blue corsed, and a large frilled skirt with the same pattern and coloration as the capelet. She has dark blue bloomers tied with blue ribbons that fade into beige. She wears blue ribboned mary janes. Like all Friends, she has traits of her original animal species alongside her human body - in her case, this manifests as a large Komodo Dragon tail.

The original is similar - however, her hair is a light brown, the hood has blue frills and does not have any sort of expression within the eyes, the capelet is the same color as the hood, which is blue, her skirt has three layers and lacks the scale pattern, and she has blue stockings. Her sleeves are not puffed and are a grayish blue with no color variation. Her shoes also had a single string instead of one, and no ribbons. Her tail was not blue, and did not have a white underside. She also has blue nail polish.

In both designs, she is seen holding a fly amanita mushroom.

Series Appearances

Appearances In Kemono Friends Media

Media		Role

Bikkuriman

Komodo Dragon appears on a sticker of Bikkuriman, a line of wafer treats produced by Lotte, notable for the highly collectible stickers that come bundled with each wafer.

In Real Life

The Komodo dragon is a lizard species native to the islands of central Indonesia. They are known as the largest living species of lizards, being able to grow up to 10 feet, or 3 meters in length. They have strong, agile necks, sturdy limbs, and a yellow, forked tongue that they use to help smell and taste. Their name stems from the rumors that a dragon-like creature lived in Komodo Island.

A Komodo dragon exposing its forked, snake-like tongue

Komodo dragons are excellent hunters, being able to eat large prey such as pigs, water buffalos, deers, humans, and in some cases, even some of their own young. The Komodo dragon kills by first knocking their prey over with either their tail or their huge feet, although they may simply lunge straight for the neck when dealing with smaller targets. Then, with their powerful jaws, they will crush, tear, and shred their prey with their shark-like teeth. Even if the Komodo dragon fails to kill the prey with their teeth, they are sure to die within a day due to the deadly venom contained in the Komodo dragons' bite. The Komodo dragon then tracks down the poisoned prey to finish it off with a lunge to the belly.

Because of cannibalization, young dragons often cover themselves in fecal matter to drive away any potential cannibals. They will also sometimes undergo rituals of appeasement, with the smaller lizards pacing around a feeding circle. When mating season comes, the dragons will often wrestle with each other to attract any potential mates, with the loser either running away or motionless. They can live up to more than 30 years, and can withstand extreme heat easily during the dry season.

The lizards' vision only allow them to see objects as far away as 985 feet (300 meters), and they also have a poor sense of hearing. However, to compensate for these weaknesses, the dragons possess a great sense of smell that allows them to track down and stealthily stalk their prey. This also allows them to sense the whereabouts of a carcass as far away as 2.5 miles, or 4 kilometers.

In 2021, an update to the IUCN Redlist detailed that the Komodo dragon's conservation status had changed from Vulnerable to Endangered as a result of climate change causing sea levels to rise, reducing their overall habitat.

Trivia

• The local Sundanese people often call them "Ora", meaning land crocodile.

• According to the San Diego Zoo, no western scientist had ever seen a real Komodo dragon until 1912. They were only regarded as mythical creatures by non-locals before their eventual discovery.

References

• https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/komodo-dragon/

• https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon

• https://www.livescience.com/27402-komodo-dragons.html