Muhamad Anwar, 32, bled to death on his way to hospital after being mauled by the reptiles at Loh Sriaya, in eastern Indonesia's Komodo National Park.
Komodo dragons, the world's heaviest lizards, can grow up to 3 meters (10 feet) in length and have a toxic bite that they use to kill prey such as buffalo, returning to feast when the animal succumbs to the poison.
Despite their ungainly appearance, the carnivorous reptiles can run as fast as a dog in short bursts, jump up on their hind legs, and kill animals with a blow of their powerful tails.
Attacks on humans are rare, but Monday's incident is the latest in a series in which the monster lizards -- which have forked tongues and fearsome claws --have killed or injured people.
Last month a park ranger survived after a Komodo dragon climbed the ladder into his hut and savaged his hand and foot. In 2007 an eight-year-old boy died after being mauled.
In June last year, a group of divers who were stranded on an island in the national park -- the dragons' only natural habitat -- had to fend off several attacks from the reptiles before they were rescued.
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Photo Credit: Dita Alangkara-AP
Showing posts with label komodo dragon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label komodo dragon. Show all posts
Endangered and Dangerous
A big batch of dragons
A zoo spokesman said the endangered lizards, believed to number less than 4,000 in the wild, all hatched in the last two weeks and 14 eggs are still under observation.
He calls it the Komodo's most successful breeding year ever at the zoo.
The giant reptiles first arrived in the early 1980s, but the new births brought their total from 34 to 66.
The Komodo dragon can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 150 pounds. They have a bite that can be deadly and can only be found in the wild on the eastern Indonesian islands of Komodo, Padar and Rinca.
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Photo credit: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images
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