HerpDigest™

IN SITU STUDY OF KOMODO DRAGONS

In Situ Study Of Komodo Dragons 
 
Abridged by John A. Phillips from an article in the CRES Report (Fall
2003). Printed with permission of the publication International Zooloigical
News. Anyone wishing a sample copy just send your request to 
ngouldzin@aol.com. Appeared in IZN December 2003 issue. 
 
Because of its size, the Komodo dragon has been a scientific curiosity for
decades. Even so, continuous, long-term examinations of dragon biology have
not been completed. Understanding the biology of this species is important
for two reasons. First, like all other island-dwelling species, the dragon
population is susceptible to catastrophic loss from natural events. Second,
dragons have not reproduced well in captivity, and thus plans to have a
self-sustaining captive population have not been realized. 
 
In 2000, the Zoological Society of San Diego began negotiations with the
Indonesian government to conduct the long-term studies necessary to
understand the biology of the Komodo dragon. It was determined that four to
five years of continuous field studies would be needed to answer key
biological questions. In 2002, the Komodo study became one of the Society's
Millennium Postdoctoral Fellowship projects with the hiring of Dr Tim
Jessop, who would live in Indonesia and oversee the program. 
 
The two key aims of this project were to implement broad-scale studies to
investigate the biology of the terrestrial fauna and flora in Komodo
National Park, with particular emphasis on the reproductive and population
biology of the endemic dragon. Second, this project seeks to promote a
capacity-building program between staff of the Zoological Society and staff
at Komodo National Park and Udayana University in Bali. This program will
provide these Indonesian institutions with a collaborative basis to
undertake integrative research to foster management and conservation of
terrestrial species within the park. 
 
During 2002, research activities included general wildlife and habitat
monitoring of fauna and flora on Komodo Island. These surveys provided
information on general distribution patterns of large mammals, including
Timor deer, water buffalo, and wild pigs, all prey species of the dragon.
Vegetation communities within the park were also characterized for Global
Information System mapping applications, as well as for identifying the
locations of exotic plant species such as the invasive prickly pear cactus.

 
A major effort in 2002 was to determine the location of Komodo dragon
nesting sites as an index of the annual female reproductive rate. An
intensive survey of all the major valleys within Komodo Island revealed 38
nesting sites, of which 26 were active during the year. In August, it was
noted that females arrived at these nesting sites to take up residency for
at least five months, during which time they exhibited nest construction,
maintenance, and defense. A mark-and-recapture study was initiated on the
dragon population. This will enable us to gather information on the
species' basic life history, including growth rate, survivorship, and age
at first reproduction. Blood samples were also taken from all captured
dragons to enable genetic sexing and studies concerned with population
genetics. 
 
Some of the preliminary information from this study revealed that the
dragon population inhabiting Gili Motang, a small island in the
south-eastern part of the national park, exhibited differences in its
population structure. Most noticeably, juvenile and large adult dragons
were not captured, suggesting that these size classes were absent or very
scarce. Further research will be conducted in 2003 to determine if this
unusual population signature is a result of human activities interfering
with food availability on this island, or if it is a result of natural
variation in body size between the different island dragon populations.