Flores Island is known for its Komodo dragon and Komodo National Park, but did you know it’s also home to other amazing animals? Let’s talk about these animals to give us all more knowledge and information about Labuan Bajo and all the amazing animals that live there!
Komodo
The first amazing animals in Labuan Bajo are the Komodo dragons. Komodo dragons have survived for millions of years in the hostile environment of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia. The Komodo dragon migrated from Australia to the eastern Indonesian archipelago about 900,000 years ago.
Komodo is endemic to the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang, found throughout the islands. An American magazine and research center called The Smithsonian suspects that the Komodo dragon is descended from dinosaurs. This statement is not just nonsense, paleontologists and scientists have found many similarities in the DNA of the bodies of dinosaurs and Komodo dragons.
The Komodo dragon, also known as the Komodo monitor (Varanus komodoensis), is a species of lizard unique to the Komodo Islands in Indonesia. These apex predator reptiles can run up to seven kilometers a day.
However, these amazing animals prefer to stay close to home and rarely leave the valleys where they were hatched. As the largest reptiles on earth, Komodo dragons can grow up to 3 meters long and weigh more than 70 kilograms. They have crooked legs, scaly skin, long flat heads with rounded noses, and huge musky tails. As apex predators, Komodo dragons dominate their ecosystem and prey on everything around them, from invertebrates to birds and mammals.
Komodo dragons have a venomous bite from two glands that secrete a venomous protein in their lower jaw, so you should always be careful around them, as they sometimes attack humans. Komodo dragons are very good at camouflage, which makes them useful when hunting prey. Komodo dragons usually lie down and wait for their prey to approach them, so they use their claws and sharp teeth to jump. Not only that, the Komodo dragon also has a really sharp sense of smell, which in some cases hunts down prey no matter what it goes.
The female komodo begins mating season at approximately 6-7 years of age and the male komodo at approximately 9-10 years of age. During the once-a-year mating season, female Komodo dragons emit a scent in their droppings that male Komodo dragons can follow. The male dragon licks and scratches the female’s back, allowing them to mate if she licks him back.
A male Komodo dragon also sometimes fights another male Komodo dragon to defeat a female Komodo dragon. When female butterflies become pregnant, approximately 30 eggs are laid and buried in the soil, the eggs hatch eight months later. However, female Komodo dragons also have alternative methods of reproduction when male Komodo dragons are not around: In a process known as parthenogenesis, female Komodo dragons can reproduce asexually because they have both male and female chromosomes.
Manta Rays
Other amazing animals in Labuan Bajo are manta rays. The manta ray ( Manta birostris ) is one of the largest ray species ever found in this world. The width of the body from the tip of the pectoral fin to the tip of the second fin is almost 6-8 meters (perhaps more, as there are reports of a manta with a body width of 9.1 meters). The heaviest Manta ever measured weighs about 3 tons.
Unlike other rays, manta rays are also non-venomous, they do not have a stinger in their tail like most other rays. Basically, Manta is quite a friendly fish, it swims calmly even when there are people around.
However, if disturbed, these amazing animals can attack and be dangerous due to their rather large size. Manta rays roaming the Indonesian archipelago are creatures that are quite difficult to see, so the chance to see them in the wild ocean is one of the most powerful things.
These amazing animals are such mischievous and intelligent creatures. Its wide distribution and unique appearance give this fish many names “Pacific manta”, “Atlantic manta”, “devil fish”, even “sea devil”.
In Indonesia itself, manta rays have several local names such as Cawang necklace, Plampangan and Buffalo rays (perhaps because the body part resembles a horn on the head, therefore it is considered similar to a buffalo).
Manta rays spend most of their time in constant motion because they can only breathe by swimming. The Raide genus itself has over 11 species, including species of mobular rays that are sometimes confused with manta rays due to their morphological similarity. The cephalic fins, found in both manta and mobula species, are fins that guide plankton-rich water into their mouths. This characteristic led to the title “devil rays”, which was unfair due to their delicate nature.
A fun fact about the Manta is that their gills are located on the bottom of their body, which provides access to oxygen for breathing, unlike most fish, whose gills are usually located on the side of their body.
Manta rays have two species namely Manta birostris and Manta alfredi. Manta birostris is the scientific name of the giant ocean manta, while Manta alfredi is the name of the reef manta. Scientists estimate that there was an evolutionary hiatus between the two species about 300,000 years ago, when oceanic rays went into open water and reef manta remained more closely related to corals.
Ocean or “giant” manta rays can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) wide and weigh up to 2,000 kilograms, making them much larger than reef manta rays (4,450 pounds). On the other hand, small reef manta rays can grow to amazing sizes, with wingspans of up to 4.5 meters (15 feet). They weigh up to 1,400 kg. Both species are found around Komodo National Park, Raja Ampat, Bali and remote Indonesian islands.
Kalong
The third amazing animals in Labuan Bajo are kalong. Kalong belongs to the family Chiroptera and belongs to the family of Pteropodidae, which is the only family in the suborder of Megachiroptera. The genus of Pteropus is the only member of that family.
Despite the fact that not all kalong are bats, the word ”kalong” is frequently used rather than “bats” in common speech. Kalong itself is substantially related to large fruit- eating bats With a wingspan of over to 1700 mm and a weight of over to 1500 grams, the Kapauk bat, Pteropus Vampyrus is both the largest fruit bat and the largest bat. In English, bats are known as Flying Foxes or Giant Fruit bats.
The home of the bat includes islets in the Indian and Pacific abysses, Australia, Indonesia, the eastern seacoast of Africa( but not the mainland), and tropical and tropical Asia( including the Indian key). bats are the only mammals that can fly. Like mammals, like humans, these amazing animals are warm- thoroughbred invertebrates. Their two front legs develop bodies.
According to current records, there are at least roughly 1,400 species of different sizes, although they may each look the same. The lowest bat is a bumblebee, which is also considered the lowest beast in the world.
At Kalong Island, home to millions of giant bats, or bats, you can see thousands of bats flying to hail you from the evening sky. Around 1800 original time, when dusk begins to set in and the sky has faded slightly to orange, it’s time for the bat group to leave their nests. They fly in great figures to dumbfound excursionists.
At first only dozens, but later they came thousands of bats. In addition to seeing thousands of these amazing animals, you’ll also be treated to mesmerizing views of the Flower Sea and savannah mountains.
After reading this, have you decided to start your trip to explore Labuan Bajo and meet all these amazing animals mentioned over? If you want to live on board with Nayara Cruise in Labuan Bajo now, you can choose our service here that offer an unexpected journey with a enjoyment experience during your Labuan Bajo trip in 2023 to see these amazing animals. Come on and save your seat with us!
