Continued from yesterday”¦ There were four Komodo dragons lounging under one of the cabins. One of them was huge at least 9 feet long. They are the exact same color as the dirt, so despite being huge, they are actually kind of hard to see. Kind of like the whales in the ocean when we swam with them. The bodies look similar to a crocodile and the head looks like a lizard.

They have scaly skin that looks like it is in various stages of molting right now. They have five fingered claws with long, sharp nails that look similar to a human hand. They got up and started lumbering around, flicking their long, bright yellow tongues as they walked. They didn’t go far, just a few feet, before stopping for a rest. After a total walk of about 15 feet, they retreated back under the cabin again. Seeing them so docile, slow and lazy made it hard to believe that they are actually vicious, lightening fast, and deadly.

Komodo Dragons are the largest species of lizards on the planet. They are part of the monitor lizard family. Like all monitor lizards, they are meat eaters. Little monitor lizards eat bugs. Komodos eat goat and pigs whole in one swallow. They can eat 80% of their weight in one sitting. For bigger prey, like buffalo, they bite the victim with their toxic saliva and then follow the prey around until it dies. Their tails are powerful weapons, as are their talons. It is believed that the Chinese dragon image is based on the Komodo.

After we told the ranger we had taken enough photos, we moved on down the trail. Rinca reminds us of Timor, with the grass and small shrubs being dry and dead, contrasted against the greenery of the trees (though a few are leafless). There are a lot of butterflies flitting about, and there seem to be quite a few varieties. We passed a Komodo Dragon nest, which was several large holes partially filled in with dirt guarded by a female dragon. We thought we were standing pretty darn close to one of the holes, but obviously not close enough to upset the female. The eggs incubate for nine months in the holes, but the female dragon only guards them for three. After that, the eggs are on their own. Once the babies hatch, they take to the trees and live in the trees for the first five years of their lives, until they are big enough to defend themselves against other Komodos. The babies feed on lizards and other small prey. The reason the babies live in the trees is because Komodos are cannibalistic and will eat their young. Once the dragon get too big they can no longer climb trees, so the babies are safe up there.

As we continued on our trek, we saw several other animals, too. Crows, megapodes (a duck looking bird), monkeys jumping out of trees and running along the ground, and a buffalo. We came across another Komodo resting under a tree and the ranger encouraged us both to pick up his tail, saying that it was safe because the dragon was in a position it could not attack from. It felt like snakeskin.

We followed the ranger up a good sized hill to the northwestern side of the island, to a beautiful viewpoint where we could see the dark blue water wrapped around the various brown islands and bays. It really looks like Lake Powell from up here. The sun was high in the sky at this point, and the spots of turquoise water above the reefs glowed majestically against the darker blue water around it. Fortunately, it was not as hot as it has been the last few days.

Back at the ranger compound, we had our customary passage completion celebratory meal at the cafeteria before heading back to Kosmos for a nap. Between the lack of sleep the last couple of days and the long, vigorous hike today, we were definitely tired. As we write this, the sun is setting. It is completely quiet, calm and peaceful. There is a buffalo grazing on the hill right in front of us. We have arrived in paradise.