You know these beasts; they're the biggest lizards on the planet, they live on a few Indonesian islands, and they have no predators.
They're vicious carnivores and can kill a wild pig in seconds. They eat their catch by just tearing off large chunks of flesh with their huge powerful jaws.
And now, after modern imaging -- CT scanning -- it's found they have a built-in suit of armor, made of tiny bones.
Quote:
These bones cover the dragons from head to tail, creating a “chain mail” that protects the giant predators. However, the armor raises a question: What does the world’s largest lizard – the dominant predator in its natural habitat – need protection from?
After scanning Komodo dragon specimens with high-powered X-rays, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin think they have an answer: other Komodo dragons.
|
That's right, these beasts are such assholes that they need one of nature's more remarkable forms of protection... against themselves.
Quote:
|
The adult was well-equipped with armor, but it was completely absent in the baby. It’s a finding that suggests that the bony plates don’t appear until adulthood. And the only thing adult dragons need protection from is other dragons.
|
And us.
Indonesia is limiting the number of tourists to Komodo Island, because the tourists keep stealing the lizards.