The national animal of Indonesia is the fearsome Komodo dragon. These huge monitor lizards are the largest living species of lizard in the world, endemic to several Indonesian islands like Komodo, Rinca, and Flores. They are and have been very important symbols to the people of Indonesia for as long as anyone remembers.
Though monitor lizards in general are quite large, none even approach the size of the Komodo dragon.
This makes them look rather like something out of a different epoch of Earth, a remnant of a time long before humans or even mammals dominated the earth.
So, their symbolic importance is hardly surprising.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Indonesia?
The national animal of Indonesia is the Komodo dragon.
This is the single largest extant species of lizard in the world by quite some way.
Males, on average, are around 8.5 feet long and weigh around 170 to 200 pounds.
Females are not much smaller, around 150 to 160 pound and measuring around 7.5 feet on average.
The next largest species of lizard is the Asian water monitor, which rarely exceeds six feet in length and usually weighs only around 40 pounds.
The Komodo dragon is also a monitor lizard, and they are endemic to four Indonesian islands: Komodo, their namesake, as well as Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang.
They are, unsurprisingly, apex predators, dominating their island ecosystems.
They hunt a variety of prey using ambush tactics, anything from small birds and invertebrates to large mammals like the Javan rusa which constitutes their main prey.
That said, they have been thought mostly to eat carrion.
They typically hunt in groups, though, which is completely exceptional in the reptile world.
Other than when they are breeding and eating, they are solitary.
They favor hot, dry environments, living mostly in open grassland, savannas, and sometimes in tropical forests at low elevations.
They are sometimes active during the night but are mostly diurnal and hunt during the day.
They usually mate between May and August, and then lay eggs in September.
Males during this period will fight ferociously for females and territory, grappling with one another on their hind legs while balanced on their tails.
Even the females will typically resist during mating, so the male has to fully restrain them.
They nest in a variety of ways, though usually by digging small holes in the ground.
Clutches of eggs are usually around 20 strong.
Why is the Komodo dragon the national animal of Indonesia?
The Komodo dragon is the national animal of Indonesia for a few reasons.
They are symbolic in a number of ways: they embody strength, physical prowess, courage and power.
They are without equal in their environments and so they dominate their island habitats.
Lizards and reptiles have influenced human cultures in just about every single place and time in Earth’s history, so it’s easy to see why such a powerful lizard would become so symbolically important to the people of Indonesia.
Of course, the simple fact that Komodo dragons are endemic to Indonesian islands is another important reason why they are considered the national animal.
Though they are fearsome predators, they are nonetheless seen as important embodiments of the nation’s natural beauty.
They are spirits of their island habitats and in many ways warnings of the power and danger of the natural world.
The question of conservation, though, is also an important one.
The range of these lizards has retracted considerably in recent decades, and it’s thought that climate change will only push them further.
They are officially an endangered species, and so the Indonesian government hopes to bring attention to their plight by officially recognizing them as the national animal.
How poisonous is a Komodo dragon?
It’s hard to put any kind of figure on it, but the fact is that Komodo dragons are incredibly venomous.
Their venom is often their main weapon for hunting, and they may need only a single bite on even a large animal for the poison to set in.
They may then follow the victim for days until it finally collapses from the effects of the venom.
Their bite is not especially strong compared to other similar reptiles, but their venom is extremely deadly and so Komodo dragons are not an animal to be trifled with.
Are Komodo dragons dangerous to humans?
Komodo dragons are extremely dangerous to humans.
Again, their venom with only a single bite can bring down much larger prey in a matter of hours.
Their teeth are extremely sharp and so all they need would be one chance to get you with their poison and without immediate medical attention you could certainly die.
Even were it not for their poison, they could seriously injure you with their sharp teeth and cause severe bleeding.
Again, Komodo dragons are not to be thought of as anything less than among the most dangerous animals on Earth.
They will not hesitate to attack a human, and all they would need would be one good bite and even a large adult would be done for.
In many ways, then, the Komodo dragon is among the most dangerous animals you might encounter in this part of the world.
All it might need would be one bite to administer its venom and you could be dead within hours.
This fearsome reputation has, though, only made them more revered in Indonesian culture today and its past, as well as in the rest of the world.