Komodo National Park (Rinca), Indonesia

Hello Everyone!

We reached Rinca Island in Indonesia this morning at about 7:00am and anchored in the bay. This is our first of five stops in Indonesia.

Indonesia - An Island Nation

Indonesia is comprised of more than 17,500 islands of varying size. Only about 6,000 are inhabited, and the chain spans around 3,200 miles east to west, longer than the continental US. North to south it spans about 1,100 miles.

Indonesia Superimposed on
the Continental United States

Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the Eurasian, Indo-Australian, and Pacific tectonic plates collide. As a result, there is heavy volcanic activity (over 130 active volcanoes), frequent earthquakes, and highly irregular island geography. 

Indonesia lies near the equator, so solar input is steady all year, unlike temperate zones where seasons are temperature-driven. It has a tropical climate characterized by high temperatures year-round, high humidity, and abundant rainfall. Temperatures have very little seasonal variation, and the only "seasons" are wet and dry. 

Komodo National Park

Today our only excursions were to the Komodo National Park. The park covers about 670 square miles encompassing 26 small isles and three larger islands (Padar, Komodo, and Rinca). We visited Rinca Island, where there is a nice but modest visitor center. Although not as well known as as the larger Komodo Island, it's less busy here and is a perfect place to observe Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. 

One of Indonesia’s most famous protected areas, the park was created in 1980, initially to preserve the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon. Over the years, the goals for the Park have expanded to protecting its entire biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine. In 1986, the Park was declared a World Heritage Site and a Man and Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, both indications of the park's biological importance. It’s home to one of the most biologically rich marine environments on Earth. 

In addition to the Komodo dragon, the island is home to many other species, including water buffaloes, wild pigs, saltwater crocodiles, orange-footed scrub fowl, an endemic rat, and the Timor deer. 

The Komodo Dragon

The largest lizard in the world, Komodo dragons can grow to around 10 feet in length and typically weigh between 150 - 200 lbs. Males tend to be larger than females. 

For a long time, scientists postulated that the carnivorous Komodo dragon killed its victims mainly by infecting it with virulent bacteria when it bit the prey. While the bacteria part is true, by the mid-2000s, it was confirmed that Komodo dragons also possess true venom glands and active venom proteins. Komodo dragons are not fang injectors like snakes. Instead, they have large mandibular venom glands that cause venom to flow along their serrated teeth. The teeth cause multiple, deep lacerations and the venom enters the victim through the wound surfaces.

The venom has strong anti-coagulant and hypotensive (blood pressure lowering) properties, and causes the prey to become weak and go into shock.  The dragons often employ a “bite and follow” strategy rather than an immediate takedown (especially for large prey like deer or water buffalo). It can sometime take over a week for the larger prey to die.

Our tender boat delivered us to a small marina at the entrance to the park.

Entrance to Komodo National Park

Komodo National Park Marina

Komodo National Park Marina

We continued into the park and met our guide, who took us on about a 45-minute trek through the park. We stayed on the elevated walk the whole time, but they do offer tours which go down into the area where the dragons live. Not something I'm keen on doing! We were told it's safe though, because "the guides carry sticks." Umm, okay...

National Park Welcome Sign

Elevated Walkway Through Park

Here's what the Komodo dragons we saw look like. 

Adult Male Komodo Dragon

Adult Male Komodo Dragon

The dragon has a long, forked tongue which it constantly flicks in and out as it walks. It uses its tongue to smell, and because of the fork, it can smell in "stereo", sensing which direction an odor is coming from. We were told it has an extremely good sense of smell and can detect prey up to 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) away. It also has keen eyesight. If you zoom in on the picture below, you can make out the fork.

Note the Forked Tongue

The Komodo dragon has an interesting gait. Its hips pivot back to front, making for an exaggerated, forward and backward leg swing. It alternates motions between its front and back limbs, causing the head and body to swing side-to-side. Click on this link to see a short video of the dragon in motion, and note how the tongue is constantly moving, looking for prey. 

Adult Male Komodo Dragon

Breeding season is July and August, and the females typically lay about 21 - 35 eggs at a time, generally in September and October. The female digs a nest in the ground, lays the eggs, and covers them with loose dirt. She'll guard the nest for about three months, until the rains come in December and harden the earth on top of the nest. At that point, she goes on her way. 

The eggs hatch between February and April of the following year. Interestingly, the soil temperature of the nest affects the sex of the offspring, with warmer temperatures leading to more male dragons. Cooler temperatures create more females. Hence, global warming is a concern to conservationists.

The female does not care for the hatchlings at all. Rather, the juveniles climb trees and live there, subsisting on insects, bird eggs, small geckos, etc. They'll occasionally come down from the trees for water, but are susceptible to being eaten by larger animals, and even by other Komodo dragons. Once they reach about 45 lbs., they shift to living primarily on the ground, as they're now large enough to hunt bigger prey and to defend themselves. Males can live 40 years or more, while females generally have a 20-30 year lifespan.

Back Aboard the Ship

After the tour, we were hot and sweaty, so a shower, change, and some lunch seemed like a good idea. Just after lunch, I watched from my balcony as the crew winched one of our tenders back aboard the Viking Sky. Here's a video I took that shows how the operation works. It was interesting to watch, and to see how the various crewmembers aboard both the ship and the tender coordinated their actions.

Tender Ready to Be Winched Aboard

What's Next

We got underway by mid-afternoon and headed toward our next stop in Lembar, Lombok, Indonesia. We should arrive mid-morning, and I'm looking forward to a tour of a traditional Sasak village. The Sasaks are the dominant ethnic group of Lombok, and it will be interesting to learn more about the culture there.

Until Next Time,
Jim