Cites for komodo dragon hunting behavior?
My sources say otherwise. In his landmark field study of Komodo monitors, Walter Auffenberg documented several instances of dragon attacks, both observed attacks on tethered goats, trackway evidence of attacks on wild boar and deer, and verbal accounts of eyewitness attacks on dogs and cattle. In each case, the dragon went in with a straightforward violent attack, not stopping until it had killed its prey (usually by ripping its guts out and eating the heart and lungs). This behavior is typical of all monitor lizards - all species of varanid (monitor) I am familiar with will grab tehir prey in their jaws, thrash it back and forth until it is battered and broken, and then eat it once it is subdued (assuming the prey is large enough, small prey may be swallowed whole). this is published in "The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor," University of Florida Press, 1981
Now sometimes prey does escape. In this case death may follow within hours due to exanguination from the massive, jagged wounds (helped by anticoagulants and vasodialators in monitor's saliva), or in days from septicemia. However, this is at most a backup plan. Most dragons seem to want their lunch as soon as possible.
Certain paleontologists (notably G. S. Paul) have misinterpreted the Komodo dragon's attack style and popularized the "land shark" style of attack you described, despite little evidence for actually hunting in this way.
Luke
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Cites for komodo dragon hunting behavior? My sources say otherwise. In his landmark field study of Komodo monitors, Walter Auffenberg documented several instances of dragon attacks, both observed attacks on tethered goats, trackway evidence of attacks on wild boar and deer, and verbal accounts of eyewitness attacks on dogs and cattle. In each case, the dragon went in with a straightforward violent attack, not stopping until it had killed its prey (usually by ripping its guts out and eating the heart and lungs). This behavior is typical of all monitor lizards - all species of varanid (monitor) I am familiar with will grab tehir prey in their jaws, thrash it back and forth until it is battered and broken, and then eat it once it is subdued (assuming the prey is large enough, small prey may be swallowed whole). this is published in "The Behavioral Ecology of the Komodo Monitor," University of Florida Press, 1981 Now sometimes prey does escape. In this case death may follow within hours due to exanguination from the massive, jagged wounds (helped by anticoagulants and vasodialators in monitor's saliva), or in days from septicemia. However, this is at most a backup plan. Most dragons seem to want their lunch as soon as possible. Certain paleontologists (notably G. S. Paul) have misinterpreted the Komodo dragon's attack style and popularized the "land shark" style of attack you described, despite little evidence for actually hunting in this way. Luke