Nusu Tenggara Dry Forests - A Global Ecoregion
Home to the threatened Komodo dragon
Snapshot: Ecoregion 52
Size:
73,000 sq. km (28,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Tropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Geographic Location:
Southeast Asia: Indonesia
Conservation Status:
Critical/Endangered
Quiz Time!
How does the Komodo dragon manage to kill and consume prey larger than its own size?
Answer:
By ambushing an animal, biting it, and then letting microorganisms in its saliva kill the animal through infection. After the prey has died, the dragon locates it by scent, tears it to pieces, and unhinges its jaws to swallow gulps that are bigger than its head!
Answer:
By ambushing an animal, biting it, and then letting microorganisms in its saliva kill the animal through infection. After the prey has died, the dragon locates it by scent, tears it to pieces, and unhinges its jaws to swallow gulps that are bigger than its head!
About the Area
This Global ecoregion is made up of these terrestrial ecoregions: Lesser Sundas deciduous forests; Timor and Wetar deciduous forests. Rainfall is not quite as consistent as in nearby moist forests, with a pronounced dry season.
These forests are the richest in mammals within the Southeast Asian islands. Although the number of animal species is low, the number of marsupials and mammals, many of which are endemic, demonstrates the Asian and Australian influences on the region's biodiversity.Local Species
Species include the world's most restricted large carnivore, the threatened Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis).
The Komodo dragon that can reach lengths of 10 feet (3 m) - inhabits Komodo and several nearby islands, feeding on deer, wild boar, and other large prey.
Numerous other species occur here, such as Flores giant tree-rat (Papagomysarmandvillei), Pygmy shrew (Suncus mertensi), White-toothed shrew (Crocidura neglecta), Flying fox (Pteropus lombocensis), and the Sandalwood tree (Santalum album).
Among the numerous bird species are Cinnamon-banded kingfisher (Todirhamphus australasia), White-rumped kingfisher (Caridonax fulgidus), Bare-throated whistler (Pachycephala nudigula), Golden-rumped flowerpecker (Dicaeum annae), Crested white-eye (Lophozosterops dohertyi), Thick-billed white-eye (Heleia crassirostris), Scaly-crowned honeyeater (Lichmera lombokia), Sumba flycatcher (Ficedula harterti), Apricot-breasted sunbird (Nectarinia buettikoferi), and Yellow-spectacled white-eye (Zosterops wallacei).
Threats
Accidental and deliberate fires to increase fodder for livestock, cattle grazing, increasing population on the islands - all pose a threat to the remaining habitat.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
