This Indonesian varanid is the largest living lizard, the largest animal known to reproduce by parthenogenesis, and one of only two varanids that commonly feed on prey larger than themselves ( Auffenberg, 1981 Watts et al.

The unusual biology and ecology of the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis) have been the focus of much scientific and popular interest. komodoensis shares various cranial and dental characteristics. Functional correlations obtained from these analyses also provide a solid basis for the interpretation of feeding ecology in extinct species, including dinosaurs and sabre-tooth cats, with which V. This remarkable reduction in stress in response to additional force is facilitated by both internal and external bone anatomy.

A particularly interesting feature of the performance of the skull is that it reveals considerably lower overall stress when these additional extrinsic forces are added to those of the jaw adductors. Instead it uses series of actions controlled by postcranial muscles. komodoensis applies minimal input from the jaw muscles when butchering prey. Here, using high-resolution finite element modelling based on dissection and in vivo bite and pull data, we present results detailing the mechanical performance of the giant lizard's skull. Its delicate ‘space-frame’ skull morphology differs greatly from that apparent in most living large prey specialists and is suggestive of a high degree of optimization, wherein use of materials is minimized.

The Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis) displays a unique hold and pull-feeding technique.

Comodo dragon picture