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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Komodo Island

Komodo Island is the New 7 Wonders of the World
Komodo Dragons (http://komodo.me)
1.  The Komodo National Park.
The Komodo National Park is a national park in Indonesia located within the Lesser Sunda Islands in the border region between the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara. The park includes the three larger islands Komodo, Padar and Rincah, and 26 smaller ones,with a total area of 1,733 km² (603 km² of it land). The national park was founded in 1980 in order to protect the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard.Later it was dedicated to protecting other species, including marine species. In 1991 the national park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


The park comprises a coastal section of western Flores, the three larger islands of Komodo, Padar and Rincah, 26 smaller islands and the surrounding waters of the Sape Straights. The islands of the national park are of volcanic origin. The terrain is generally rugged, characterized by rounded hills,with altitudes up to 735 m.The climate is one of the driest of Indonesia with annual rainfall between 800mm and 1000mm. Mean daily temperatures in the dry season from May to October are around 40°C. (http://en.wikipedia.org)
Komodo Island (http://en.wikipedia.org)
Today, the PKA Balai Taman Nasional Komodo and PT. Putri Naga Komodo are working together to protect the Park's vast resources. Our goals are to protect the Park's biodiversity (both marine and terrestrial) and the breeding stocks of commercial fishes for replenishment of surrounding fishing grounds. The main challenge is to reduce both threats to the resources and conflicts between incompatible activities. Both parties have a long term commitment to protecting the marine biodiversity of Komodo National Park


2. Komodo Island
Komodo Island is an island located in the Nusa Tenggara Islands.  komodo Island is known as a habitat for native animals dragons. This island is also the Komodo National Park which is managed by the Central Government. Komodo Island to the west of Sumbawa Island, separated by Sape Strait. (http://komodo.me)
Komodo is part of the Lesser Sunda chain of islands and forms part of the Komodo National Park. Particularly notable here is the native Komodo dragon. In addition, the island is a popular destination for diving. Administratively, it is part of the East Nusa Tenggara province.

The island is famous not only for its heritage of convicts but also for the unique fauna which roam it. The Komodo dragon, the world's largest living lizard, takes its name from the island. A type of monitor lizard, it inhabits Komodo and some of the smaller surrounding islands. The first reported human visitor to the Island was Dutch Officer Van Steyn van Hensbroek in 1910. Now,Komodo Island  is the New 7 Wonders of the World.

3. Komodo Dragons
Komodo dragon, or a full-called Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizardspecies that live on the island of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang, and GiliDasami in Nusa Tenggara. This iguana by the natives of Komodo island is alsocalled by local names ora. (http://komodo.me)
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is a large species of lizard found in the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang.A member of the monitor lizard family (Varanidae), it is the largest living species of lizard, growing to an average length of 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) and weighing around 70 kilograms (150 lb). Their unusual size has been attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live.However, recent research suggests that the large size of komodo dragons may be better understood as representative of a relic population of very large varanid lizards that once lived across Indonesia and Australia, most of which, along with other megafauna,died out after contact with modern humans. Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago, and its body size remained stable on Flores, one of the handful of Indonesian islands where it is currently found, ever since Flores (along with neighboring islands) were isolated by rising sea levels approximately 900,000 years ago.As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live.Although Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, they will also hunt and ambush prey including invertebrates, birds, and mammals.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon)

Including family members Varanidae monitor lizards, and Toxicofera klad, dragonsare the largest lizards in the world, with an average length of 2-3 m. Large size is associated with symptoms of island gigantism, the tendency for body meraksasanyacertain animals that live in small island linked to the absence of mammaliancarnivores on the island where dragons live, and the rate of metabolism of smalldragons. Because of his body, these lizards occupy the position of a top predator thatdominates its place of living ecosystems.

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