Juvenile Komodo dragon preying on Tokay gecko

During a recent hike organized by KTT in a remote area of mainland West Flores we were alerted by movement on the ground at the base of a small wild tamarind tree.

Seconds later we saw a small komodo dragon, just under a meter long, scurry up the tree with a large Tokay gecko in its mouth. Over the next few minutes the young dragon swallowed the gecko more or less whole, minus a few appendages presumably lost in the initial skirmish.

As adults, the Komodo dragon loses it’s tree climbing ability and access to tree dwelling prey such as insects, reptiles, and birds.