The dragon is a mythological animal with a long literary history. It is an invincible monster that a hero always faces, whether it is Saint George in Christian legend or Hercules in Greek mythology.
There is a hypothesis about this fantasy that takes us back to our primate ancestor, from when we were hominins and our reaction mechanism was activated every time danger appeared in the form of a snake, giant feline or bird of prey. For this reason, dragons combine aspects of all these animals, unleashing the terrors of the unconscious and populating the collective imagination with their supernatural figure. There are dragons in China and there are Mesoamerican dragons, as well as Mediterranean and African ones.
The dragon that brings us here today is one of the great mysteries of science. It is a reptile with sharp claws and shark teeth whose yellow tongue moves nervously every time it pounces on its prey. As if that were not enough, the saliva of this dragon contains abundant poisonous bacteria, which can end the life of its victim in less than 24 hours. It is not a joke; 58 different bacterial populations have been found, of which 54 are potentially infectious due to the scavenging feeding of this reptile that lives on the island of Komodo, located 400 kilometers east of Bali, at the confluence of the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Its scientific name is Varanus komodoensis, although it is commonly known as the Komodo dragon, the largest lizard on Earth. To give us an idea, the most brutal specimen found to date measured 3.13 meters and weighed 166 kilograms. When they are born, the animals are greenish and striped, but, as they grow, their skin takes on the color of gray medieval armor covered in reddish rust.
We are facing a dangerous reptile, with a carnivorous diet, which, according to Michel Gall in his study on Arabian Nights, Sinbad faced on one of his journeys. Of this monster with medieval armor, it is worth highlighting its sense of smell; He senses your presence before you see him. If he reaches you, he will not leave you even your bones. Of course, only your mobile phone will be saved. Therefore, if such an unfortunate encounter occurs, it is best to set your phone to record, so that the feast of viscera watered with blood that the animal is going to eat is recorded. A real movie snuff; no tricks.
Jokes aside, Baron Rudolf von Reding Biberegg, a Swiss explorer who was on an expedition to the island, disappeared without a trace in the summer of 1974. Everything indicates that he was eaten by a Komodo dragon. They only found the baron’s glasses, a hat and a camera. Today, a wooden cross nailed to a small mound commemorates him with the following legend: “In memory of Baron Rudolf von Reding Biberegg, born in Switzerland on August 8, 1895 and disappeared on this island on July 18, 1974.”
The stone ax It is a section where Montero Glezwith a desire for prose, exercises its particular siege on scientific reality to demonstrate that science and art are complementary forms of knowledge.
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