0:00:18 > 0:00:21This is the Komodo dragon.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25The biggest lizard on the planet.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32Science discovered the dragon just 100 years ago.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39But the giant's story extends across millions of years.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The dragon has long been seen as a prehistoric creature
0:00:45 > 0:00:47from a lost world,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and we're beginning to realise
0:00:49 > 0:00:54there's far more to this lizard than meets the eye.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Today, scientists are teasing secrets from the dragon
0:00:57 > 0:01:01by delving deeper into their lives than ever before.
0:01:01 > 0:01:02As you can see, it's destroyed
0:01:02 > 0:01:05the ability of the blood to form the blood clot.
0:01:05 > 0:01:10There's something in their mouth that affects the blood coagulation.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13And with modern technology, they are able to see the dragon
0:01:13 > 0:01:15in a completely new light.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21I would say that the Komodo is a more sophisticated killing machine
0:01:21 > 0:01:23than lions and tigers.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26A century on since its scientific discovery,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29we're just beginning to uncover the secrets about the dragon
0:01:29 > 0:01:35that reveal this lizard as a true wonder of the natural world.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00The largest lizard in the world attracts a lot of attention.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06Around 40,000 people come to Komodo National Park every year
0:02:06 > 0:02:09to see the legendary dragon.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Their home is an extraordinary place.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Where else in the world would a tourist be allowed
0:02:23 > 0:02:26to stroll alongside a top predator?
0:02:26 > 0:02:29One known to kill humans.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36The dragons are named after the Indonesian island where they were first discovered,
0:02:36 > 0:02:41but we now know they are also found on several neighbouring islands.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45Together, these are home to some 4,000 dragons.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50It's not just tourists who have beaten a trail to see the dragons.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Over the last 100 years, scientists, filmmakers and explorers
0:02:54 > 0:02:58have staked their reputation on the big lizard.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Today, the dragon has become something of an obsession
0:03:03 > 0:03:08for this man, Australian biologist Dr Bryan Fry.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11A leading authority on snakes,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Bryan recently turned his attention to the hunting strategy of lizards.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23He has a hunch that there's a lot more to discover about the way dragons kill their prey,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26and a visit to the island of Rinca
0:03:26 > 0:03:31will allow him to study dragons in the wild.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33- Hello, sir. - Hi, good morning, how are you?
0:03:33 > 0:03:35- Bryan.- I'm Kevin.
0:03:35 > 0:03:37Kevin, a ranger with Komodo National Park,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39will be showing Bryan around the island.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42But first, there's the crucial matter of health and safety.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46So how do you use the sticks?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48We just use the stick to push the dragon around the nose.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51He will feel sensitive and run away.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55Dragons often gather round the rangers' huts,
0:03:55 > 0:03:57using the shade to keep cool.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And they are as inquisitive of people as people are of them.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Luckily, Bryan's stick
0:04:04 > 0:04:07is an effective deterrent against this nosy dragon.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23You can see the huge throat that they have.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Komodo dragons and other monitor lizards have a bone in their throat
0:04:26 > 0:04:28they use to inflate their throat out,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32and that's one of the things that allows them to swallow such huge meals.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35They can eat up to 80% of their body weight in a single serving.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Satisfying their big appetites seems low on today's agenda
0:04:40 > 0:04:43for these docile dragons.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45We have five Komodo dragons here
0:04:45 > 0:04:47and they're all just -
0:04:47 > 0:04:50oh, this feels nice - laying down on this nice, cool earth.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54Out in the sunshine it's about 105 degrees.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56In the shade here, it's still about 90.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58So they're moving back and forth
0:04:58 > 0:05:01in between the sunlight and the shade to cool off.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And just laying down like this, it feels really nice.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07You can see the big, big tail.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11If he slapped me with that tail, it would probably break my cheek.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14But they don't think that I'm food, they don't think I'm a threat,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17so they're just watching me.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22But I have my trusty little stick here in case things go awry.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30- They look like they're just sleeping. - Stand up, run away!
0:05:30 > 0:05:35If you're going to get close to dragons, you must be able to move fast.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Luckily, this is just a small skirmish between two tetchy individuals.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46In dragon society, big means powerful.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51So when two heavyweights of roughly equal size come together,
0:05:51 > 0:05:53there can be only one outcome - a fight.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05Only when dragons fight do you get a real sense of their power and size.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38For many years following their scientific discovery,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43we had no idea how big these dragons could grow.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47We now know the biggest males can grow to over three metres
0:06:47 > 0:06:49and weigh up to 100 kilos.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57To get a better idea of where the dragons are hunting
0:06:57 > 0:06:58and what they are killing,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01Kevin and Bryan must head away from the rangers' station.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Dragons are often found around waterholes,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09where they cool off in the heat of the day.
0:07:13 > 0:07:18During the dry season, water becomes a rare commodity
0:07:18 > 0:07:20and must be shared with other beasts.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Although they get most of the water they need from their food,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31they will top up with an occasional drink.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57But waterholes are also a perfect spot
0:07:57 > 0:07:59for dragons on the lookout for lunch.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03It's late afternoon, it's really hot.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08The buffalo are here to escape the heat and it's a good opportunity
0:08:08 > 0:08:11for a Komodo dragon to come down and do a bit of hunting.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's not just the buffalo,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but the pigs and the deer will also be coming down to have a drink
0:08:16 > 0:08:20and you often find Komodo dragons, particularly in the dry season like this,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24hanging around the waterhole, just like if you were in South Africa,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28you'd find the lions circling the waterhole or crocodiles in the water.
0:08:39 > 0:08:44On the surface, these animals don't seem particularly cunning or calculating,
0:08:44 > 0:08:50but anecdotal evidence suggests dragons are smarter than the average lizard.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54They are keenly aware of everything going on around them,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57even when their eyes are shut.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Komodo dragons are extremely alert.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08It's easy to confuse lack of movement with lack of awareness.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10He's not missing a thing.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I'm sitting here playing a little game with him
0:09:12 > 0:09:14where, when I open my eyes,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17he's closing his eyes and pretending to be asleep.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19But the minute I close my eyes,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22he pops his eyes open and starts checking me out.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26So he's just pretending like he doesn't know I'm here or doesn't care.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29But as soon as I pretend to go to sleep, he opens his eyes.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50Gotcha!
0:09:52 > 0:09:56They're able to think, they're able to almost plot a bit.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58They're more like a mammalian predator,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01so they're much, much smarter than you'd give them credit for normally.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07As cold-blooded reptiles, dragons can sit for hours
0:10:07 > 0:10:10assessing the situation around the waterhole,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14waiting patiently for the perfect opportunity.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20Water buffalo were introduced to these islands by Dutch colonists.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22The heaviest weigh in at a tonne,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24a hard catch for even the biggest dragons.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30But a lame buffalo is an entirely different proposition.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Dragons have an incredible sense of smell,
0:10:39 > 0:10:43using their forked tongues to taste the air for odours.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47It's thought they can even detect a pregnant buffalo by the smell she emits
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and will follow her relentlessly,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51devouring her calf as she gives birth.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57So the smell of a bloody cut
0:10:57 > 0:11:00to a buffalo's leg is enough to rouse their senses.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05And with excellent eyesight, they can easily distinguish
0:11:05 > 0:11:08the lame from the healthy.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19They can quite literally smell the buffalo's weakness,
0:11:19 > 0:11:23and several dragons soon circle the hapless animal.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Each bite, when it happens, is quick and glancing.
0:12:51 > 0:12:53The dragons are not working as a team.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Each dragon is acting alone, in its own interest,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59though when the buffalo finally dies,
0:12:59 > 0:13:01the meal WILL be big enough to share.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14The most remarkable thing about this scene
0:13:14 > 0:13:18is that no other lizard on the planet is able to kill in this way.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25The dragon has somehow broken ranks from other lizards
0:13:25 > 0:13:28to become a killer of prey much larger than itself.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Bryan and his colleagues believe this evolutionary leap happened
0:13:36 > 0:13:40not in here in Indonesia but thousands of miles away
0:13:40 > 0:13:42in Australia.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57This is a paradise for monitor lizards,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00close relatives of the dragon.
0:14:00 > 0:14:0320 species live here, and they come in all shapes and sizes.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10The monitor lizards include
0:14:10 > 0:14:13some of the biggest natural predators in Australia.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17And there is one particular Australian monitor that provides
0:14:17 > 0:14:20an important connection to the dragon.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22This is the Australian lace monitor.
0:14:22 > 0:14:26It's the closest living relative of the Komodo dragon.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31You can see the close relationship in the features that they share.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35They both have scales with little bits of bone inside of them.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38They've got the long tongue with the exquisite sense of smell.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40There's a lot of misconceptions
0:14:40 > 0:14:42about the lace monitor and the Komodo dragon
0:14:42 > 0:14:45where a lot of people think of them just as scavengers,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but they're actually very efficient predators.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Any good predator will certainly scavenge a prey,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54but just because they eat carrion and other dead prey
0:14:54 > 0:14:58doesn't mean that they're not very adept hunters in their own right.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06The way a lace monitor lives today gives us an idea
0:15:06 > 0:15:10of how the Komodo dragon's ancestor hunted prey millions of years ago.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15The lace monitor is an agile tree climber.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20Its long claws allow it to grip the smooth gum-tree bark.
0:15:24 > 0:15:28This particular tree has attracted the attention of a lace monitor
0:15:28 > 0:15:33because it's the home of a female possum with babies in her nest.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46POSSUM HISSES
0:16:12 > 0:16:16The possum's noisy defence forces the monitor to retreat.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35But hunger drives the lizard to make a second attempt.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Lunging into the possum's nest looks suicidal,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01yet the monitor seems hardly to notice the possum's bite.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It takes less than a minute for the lizard to devour
0:17:24 > 0:17:26the baby possums inside the nest.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36It's not hard to imagine a smaller ancestor of the Komodo dragon
0:17:36 > 0:17:39hunting in trees just like the lace monitor.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46But at some point in Australia's past, this all changed.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Some monitor lizards became big - very big.
0:17:58 > 0:18:04Palaeontologist Scott Hocknull has been piecing together the past lives of these reptiles.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08The evidence comes in tiny fragments but, like a jigsaw,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11builds a picture of a lost world of giant lizards.
0:18:18 > 0:18:19What I have here is Megalania.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22This is the largest lizard to have ever lived.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26It's about five metres long, maybe even getting to six metres,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28so it's an absolute monster of an animal.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Found in Australia, lived between
0:18:30 > 0:18:33about 500,000 years ago and 50,000 years.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38As well as the giant Megalania fossils,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40Scott has found evidence of another large lizard -
0:18:40 > 0:18:41not as big as Megalania,
0:18:41 > 0:18:46but certainly bigger than any other lizard living in Australia today.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Originally it was thought that these bones
0:18:55 > 0:18:59were simply a small Megalania, a small individual.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01But when we look at the bones carefully
0:19:01 > 0:19:03you can tell that they're actually from adults,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06so they were fully-grown. So what that shows is that
0:19:06 > 0:19:08it was a completely different species.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10When we compare the bones of this animal
0:19:10 > 0:19:13to all of the living and extinct monitor lizards,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16all the fossils that exist, what we see
0:19:16 > 0:19:18is that it's very much the same as a Komodo dragon.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21In fact, it's so similar, it's the same species.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25So this is concrete evidence that in Australia, Komodos existed,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27they lived four million years ago,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and it's most likely that they originated here.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39Prehistoric Australia was full of giants.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41Back then, prey animals were dangerous quarry
0:19:41 > 0:19:43because of their size.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47To catch big prey, it helped to be a big predator.
0:19:54 > 0:20:00The standard body shape of a regular monitor lizard became super-sized.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04The Komodo dragon was one of the most successful of these giants,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08evolving from a smaller ancestor into a giant predator.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Today, Australia is no longer home to giants.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20At some point, they disappeared.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Around a million years ago, Australia began to dry out,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27and, as its forests contracted,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32the dragon population slowly dwindled.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35But some found a new home further north.
0:20:35 > 0:20:40Back then, a land bridge linked Australia to part of Indonesia.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44But the islands where dragons live today
0:20:44 > 0:20:46were never joined to a mainland.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52There was only one way
0:20:52 > 0:20:56dragons could have reached the central Indonesian islands.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58By swimming.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11For a three-metre-long animal weighing 100 kilos,
0:21:11 > 0:21:16the dragon is a very good swimmer, able to cross deep-water channels.
0:21:24 > 0:21:31The first migrant dragons that reached these central Indonesian islands would have been in paradise.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37No other predators lived here, so that meant no competition for food.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42But for every castaway washing up on a beach,
0:21:42 > 0:21:46there is the possibility it will spend the rest of its life alone.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So how did these Robinson Crusoes of the dragon world
0:21:51 > 0:21:54actually establish a population on these islands?
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It's only recently that we've discovered
0:21:59 > 0:22:03another extraordinary secret about the dragons.
0:22:03 > 0:22:08In extreme situations, females can reproduce without a male.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14It's a phenomenon that in a human would be seen as miraculous.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Somehow, the dragon's body senses
0:22:18 > 0:22:22that normal conception isn't possible, and her dividing egg cells
0:22:22 > 0:22:26effectively create a sperm substitute,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29enabling her to fertilise her own eggs.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37For stranded dragons, it's a regular part of their desert island survival kit.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52After almost eight months of incubation,
0:22:52 > 0:22:55dragon eggs hatch deep underground.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Their first instinct is to climb upwards and out of the nest.
0:23:19 > 0:23:23These first few moments in their lives are perhaps the most dangerous.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Staying on the ground makes them vulnerable to predators,
0:23:26 > 0:23:32and that includes bigger dragons on the lookout for a small snack.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37So the hatchlings must quickly head up into trees for safety.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Young komodo dragons are lithe and agile
0:23:49 > 0:23:53and bear little resemblance to the lumbering adults
0:23:53 > 0:23:55that stalk the ground beneath them.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01But as they grow up, they eventually come back down to the ground
0:24:01 > 0:24:05and transform into bulky giants ready to hunt big prey.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18It's easy to see why locals call the dragon a land crocodile.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22But despite its size and bruising appearance,
0:24:22 > 0:24:27there is one part of the dragon that is nowhere near as strong as a crocodile's.
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Its head.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31If you look at the skull,
0:24:31 > 0:24:34it's actually quite small relative to that massive body
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and that's because they need a very lightweight skull
0:24:37 > 0:24:41in order to move fast when they're chasing down their prey.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43And the speed at which they can swing their skull
0:24:43 > 0:24:45while running is amazing.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47They're very, very agile animals.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52We're only just discovering the remarkable, complex relationship
0:24:52 > 0:24:56between the design of the dragon's skull and its killer bite.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Bryan Fry's colleague, Stephen Wroe, has examined the skulls
0:25:00 > 0:25:03of many top predators.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07He's created a computer model of a skull based on a real dragon.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10In this case, we were fortunate enough to have
0:25:10 > 0:25:12a whole specimen of a komodo dragon
0:25:12 > 0:25:17and we were able to actually dissect the muscles out
0:25:17 > 0:25:20and come up with estimates
0:25:20 > 0:25:22for the cross-sectional area of the individual muscles.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27So that allows us to get a pretty good estimate for the sort of forces
0:25:27 > 0:25:29that this animal would be able to apply in the jaws.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32By recreating how a dragon bites,
0:25:32 > 0:25:37he's revealed a serious weakness in this animal's jaws.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43Its ability to bite down very hard just using its jaw muscles,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46its skull's not really well adapted to do it.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51The red and white colours indicate stress, and clearly show
0:25:51 > 0:25:55that a dragon biting down hard could easily break its jaw.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Its bite forces themselves are weak.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03For an animal of its size, it has a very weak bite. In fact,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06by our predictions, they're smaller than that of an average house cat.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14Despite its super-lightweight skull,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17the dragon is able to kill prey weighing up to a tonne.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22The secret to its success is in the way it uses its skull.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Hidden inside its mouth are 60 amazingly sharp teeth
0:26:28 > 0:26:32that wouldn't look out of place in the mouth of a great white shark.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Each tooth is backward curved and serrated,
0:26:36 > 0:26:38making them ideal slicing tools.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42But to really take advantage of its weaponry,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45the dragon has to bite in a very precise way.
0:26:47 > 0:26:48When it bites in,
0:26:48 > 0:26:50the head comes in at a slight angle.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53It then pulls back
0:26:53 > 0:27:00and, in doing so, it basically uses a can-opening motion,
0:27:00 > 0:27:06so it's using leverage around its body instead of just its jaws.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10That helps drive the teeth in and cause major damage.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13So it's not the jaw muscles themselves
0:27:13 > 0:27:15that are doing the serious damage here,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18it's the very powerful forearms
0:27:18 > 0:27:22and shoulders that are really driving this whole process.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26And it's actually a very clever use of leverage.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Scientists have called this the "grip and rip" bite.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36The dragon uses its sharp teeth and muscular body
0:27:36 > 0:27:38so it doesn't need a heavyweight jaw.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44It's a combination that allows the dragon to be a fast ambush hunter
0:27:44 > 0:27:47with one of the best killer bites in the animal kingdom.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59With a big dragon like this and a water buffalo,
0:27:59 > 0:28:04they can kill them but it takes repeated bites over several days.
0:28:04 > 0:28:06What happens is that when they do the grip and rip,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10they'll do that several times and every time they catch up with the water buffalo
0:28:10 > 0:28:15they'll hit him again, and this will leave more and more wounds on it, and they'll keep bleeding.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19But with something much smaller like a deer or a pig,
0:28:19 > 0:28:2190% of the attacks are fatal
0:28:21 > 0:28:25and, in fact, 75% of them don't even survive the first contact.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28The majority of them will die immediately,
0:28:28 > 0:28:30some will last three or four hours
0:28:30 > 0:28:34but only 10% of a natural prey item will survive the initial attack.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38Those are the kind of numbers that a lion would love to have.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The fact that these giant lizards are able to kill so quickly and efficiently
0:28:45 > 0:28:49makes living alongside them a little worrying.
0:28:52 > 0:28:54If dragons are meant to keep out of villages,
0:28:54 > 0:28:56someone has clearly forgotten to tell THEM.
0:28:59 > 0:29:03And the temptations of village life are all too obvious.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Bryan is keen to find out more about the difficulties of living with dragons,
0:29:16 > 0:29:20so Kevin is taking him to the local police station.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23- Hello.- Hello.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25THEY SPEAK INDONESIAN
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Bryan.
0:29:29 > 0:29:30How are you?
0:29:36 > 0:29:40The police keep a log of all incidents involving dragons.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42So, Bryan, look at here.
0:29:42 > 0:29:46- Accident here.- Oh, here's 30 August and 31 August.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49So what happened on the 23rd? What happened there?
0:29:49 > 0:29:54- Right here - one Komodo dragon was kill one deer around the spring water.- OK.
0:29:54 > 0:30:00And the last moment, 24, the police patrol around the village here,
0:30:00 > 0:30:05and saw one Komodo dragon was killing one goat, 24th.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08So two days in a row they had dragon problems.
0:30:08 > 0:30:09So the killing of a goat,
0:30:09 > 0:30:14- that's property and food, so that's an economic impact to the village. - Yes, yes.
0:30:17 > 0:30:18In this part of the world,
0:30:18 > 0:30:20livestock often live in or around
0:30:20 > 0:30:22the homes of the people who own them.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28But that risks attracting dragons into the heart of the village.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Goats and chickens are an easy meal for dragons,
0:30:38 > 0:30:41but people have also been killed.
0:30:46 > 0:30:50Children are most vulnerable, and although attacks are rare,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53police records reveal just how cunning dragons can be.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58One teacher, in 1998, climb on a tree
0:30:58 > 0:31:02and when he go down, Komodo already waiting.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Oh, right, so the Komodo saw the person go up the tree
0:31:05 > 0:31:09- and came over and sat and waited? - Yes.- Smart lizard.
0:31:09 > 0:31:11So what happened to that person? Did they die?
0:31:11 > 0:31:16People didn't die at the time but two years later,
0:31:16 > 0:31:17- two years later he is dying.- Right.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20But according to the people around here,
0:31:20 > 0:31:23they believe he die because of the bacteria.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Here in Rinca, with the local villagers,
0:31:32 > 0:31:33they quite rightly fear the dragons
0:31:33 > 0:31:35because the dragons have killed villagers
0:31:35 > 0:31:38and there's also a big economic impact
0:31:38 > 0:31:41where they're regularly taking goats and other livestock.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43It is interesting, though,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46that people believe things about the dragons
0:31:46 > 0:31:47that just can't be accurate.
0:31:47 > 0:31:52For example, one person was bitten, bled heavily, but he recovered.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54Two years later he died.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56In the intervening period he wasn't sick,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59it's not like he was wasting away, he was healthy,
0:31:59 > 0:32:02but when he died two years later, they blamed it on his dragon bite.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Now, we don't know what he actually died from,
0:32:04 > 0:32:07but there's no way that that was from the dragon bite.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15"Infection" is a word you often hear when people talk about dragons.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20Death by infection through a dragon bite is an idea
0:32:20 > 0:32:22that has been around for 30 years.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25The story goes something like this.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30Komodo dragons have dirty mouths full of lethal bacteria.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35When the dragon bites, it infects its victim with bacteria,
0:32:35 > 0:32:38so if its bite doesn't kill, the infection will.
0:32:40 > 0:32:45It's a story so wonderfully horrific it has been endlessly retold,
0:32:45 > 0:32:51and today is one of the most well-known "facts" about Komodo dragons.
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Just ask the tourists.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56From what I've read, it's the bacteria
0:32:56 > 0:32:57from the mouth of the Komodo
0:32:57 > 0:33:01that actually leads to the slow death of the prey.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05They've bacteria in their mouths, they can kill large water buffalos.
0:33:05 > 0:33:09It's a sort of slow death bacterial release, you know,
0:33:09 > 0:33:10so sort of very painful.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13They've got mouths full of bacteria, which sounds nasty.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Dragons are not unique in having bacteria in their mouths.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23A bite from a human could leave the victim with a nasty infection.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25But do dragons really use bacteria
0:33:25 > 0:33:28as a weapon to help them kill larger prey?
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Even with its slasher bite, the lightweight skull of a dragon
0:33:40 > 0:33:43means it could face serious injury when preying on a buffalo.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Buffalo can be as much as ten times the weight of an average dragon.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56So an additional weapon like killer bacteria would certainly help.
0:33:59 > 0:34:01It's a good story,
0:34:01 > 0:34:03but Bryan just doesn't buy it.
0:34:05 > 0:34:07It's been a bit of a puzzle to me
0:34:07 > 0:34:10of how the whole idea of the bacteria
0:34:10 > 0:34:13being part of the predatory behaviour of the Komodo dragon
0:34:13 > 0:34:15became such gospel.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17It's never actually been proven,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20it's never actually been shown that they're using bacteria.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22With their natural prey item,
0:34:22 > 0:34:24they're killed by the massive blood loss.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28With something like a water buffalo, that's going to colour our observations.
0:34:28 > 0:34:29Imagine, if you will,
0:34:29 > 0:34:33one of these being bitten by a Komodo dragon and surviving,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35and then hanging out in water like this.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38What do you think's going to happen? It's going to get an infection.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Is that linked to the feeding behaviour of the Komodo? No.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50While some people believe infection comes directly from the mouth of the dragon,
0:34:50 > 0:34:54Bryan's visit to Komodo National Park has shown him
0:34:54 > 0:34:57that there are many other potential sources,
0:34:57 > 0:34:58not least the rotten water
0:34:58 > 0:35:01where the dragon's prey loves to wallow.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07But there's something about the bacteria story
0:35:07 > 0:35:12that reminds Bryan of the hunting strategy of another type of animal.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15One that he has studied for most of his career.
0:35:15 > 0:35:16The snake.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21There's one particular thing about snakes
0:35:21 > 0:35:23that has fascinated Bryan for years.
0:35:23 > 0:35:24Venom.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30This inland taipan has one of the most venomous bites on the planet
0:35:30 > 0:35:34and Bryan regularly collects its venom for analysis.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38Like many snakes, it strikes quickly at its prey,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42retreats, and waits for its victim to die.
0:35:42 > 0:35:46It sounds suspiciously similar to the so-called bacteria bite
0:35:46 > 0:35:47of a hunting dragon.
0:35:47 > 0:35:51Bite, infect, retreat and wait.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Could the bite of a dragon, the largest lizard in the world,
0:35:56 > 0:35:57actually be venomous?
0:36:01 > 0:36:03It may not be such a crazy idea.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07After all, snakes and lizards are closely related
0:36:07 > 0:36:08and share a common ancestor.
0:36:11 > 0:36:13Today, there are just under 4,000
0:36:13 > 0:36:16species of lizard living on the planet.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18But two of these lizards stand out from the rest
0:36:18 > 0:36:20for one important reason.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24Their venom.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30And this is one of them - the Mexican beaded lizard.
0:36:32 > 0:36:34A bite from one of these is painful
0:36:34 > 0:36:38and in severe cases can lead to complete respiratory failure.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44So if two species of lizard use venom,
0:36:44 > 0:36:46why not more?
0:36:46 > 0:36:49And why not the Komodo dragon?
0:36:56 > 0:36:58A hospital in the Netherlands
0:36:58 > 0:37:01seems an unlikely place to find the answer.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04But Bryan has always believed the best discoveries
0:37:04 > 0:37:08come from taking a different look at a familiar subject.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13This hospital boasts one of the best MRI scanning departments in the world,
0:37:13 > 0:37:18which is great for looking inside the heads of human patients.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20Thankfully, that's not what Bryan is carrying.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23There they are, let's have a look.
0:37:28 > 0:37:32He has two pickled lizards on loan from a local museum.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36The first is the venomous Mexican beaded lizard.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39The second is the head of a female Komodo.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Close up, the dragon's head has some features
0:37:44 > 0:37:48that makes Bryan think an MRI scan is worthwhile.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50You can see very clearly that
0:37:50 > 0:37:53there's something that's running the length of the lower jaw.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57But by pressing on it, I can feel that it's not the jaw bone -
0:37:57 > 0:37:58it's soft.
0:37:58 > 0:38:01That's definitely glandular material, that's not calcium.
0:38:01 > 0:38:06So the first thing we'll do is do an MRI of the beaded
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and then that'll be our control because we know about that gland
0:38:10 > 0:38:14and we've a good handle of what it's supposed to be like from published reports.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18And then once we acquire that data, we'll then put the Komodo dragon in
0:38:18 > 0:38:21and we'll be able to compare and contrast between the two of them.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27The MRI scanner is usually used to look inside the heads of patients,
0:38:27 > 0:38:31helping diagnose illnesses such as cancer or Alzheimer's.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37This is the first time it's being used
0:38:37 > 0:38:40for something of a more reptilian nature.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45So let's see what we're going to find.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55The beaded lizard scan has taken two hours
0:38:55 > 0:38:57and the images allow Bryan
0:38:57 > 0:39:01to take a fresh look at a lizard already well-known for its venom.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06- So these are the results. - All right, so let's count the compartments for the beaded lizard.
0:39:06 > 0:39:10A bit further...there, stop, stop, right there.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12So, with the beaded lizard, it's supposed to
0:39:12 > 0:39:14only have one duct coming out.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16That's a second duct over there.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20Yeah. And then here's a third one, here's a fourth one, five, six.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23So it's got six compartments in it.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25'With just the one scan we've done right now'
0:39:25 > 0:39:28we've shown that it actually has six compartments.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32So even the animals that are well-known as being venomous,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35we can learn a huge amount just by using this kind of technology
0:39:35 > 0:39:38that has never been applied towards these kinds of animals.
0:39:38 > 0:39:42Next, it's the pickled dragon's head.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45- Let's see, which part do we need to see?- Lower jaw, here.
0:39:54 > 0:39:57It wasn't exactly designed in mind with the Komodo dragon
0:39:57 > 0:39:59but we're learning so much by doing it
0:39:59 > 0:40:03and it's such an incredible privilege to be able to do things
0:40:03 > 0:40:06like put a Komodo dragon head in an MRI.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10I'd say this is easily the coolest thing I've ever done in science.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16So...
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Oh, this is great.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29It's so cool to see this. We did it.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33What started as a hunch has now been confirmed by modern technology.
0:40:33 > 0:40:35Look at the size of that internal lumen.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39The Komodo dragon does indeed possess a venom gland.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42This is our gland here.
0:40:42 > 0:40:44There's a big posterior compartment
0:40:44 > 0:40:48and you can see the duct starting to emerge there.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50Not only do they have this gland,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53but it's a very well-developed intricate structure,
0:40:53 > 0:40:56so how did people miss this?
0:40:57 > 0:41:02It's an extraordinary find that has gone unnoticed for 100 years.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06I'm just so pleased to see this - it's incredible,
0:41:06 > 0:41:09this is all my Christmases come true,
0:41:09 > 0:41:12that we've been able to show that it's got, not just a gland,
0:41:12 > 0:41:14but a very intricate gland.
0:41:14 > 0:41:18All this stuff about the bacteria is now called into question by this.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23It's taken a modern medical tool
0:41:23 > 0:41:26to reveal the dragon's hidden venom gland.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29But there are many types of venom.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32Bryan's next task is to find out what sort,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36and to do that he must look into the mouth of a dragon.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44It's a task few would relish,
0:41:44 > 0:41:48but Bryan has spent years extracting venom from dangerous animals across the world.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55And, besides, not all dragons are scary man-eaters.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59Bryan knows a dragon with just the right personality
0:41:59 > 0:42:00to help in his research.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07It lives in Bali Reptile Park
0:42:07 > 0:42:10and happens to be very, very friendly.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29This is Monty, by far my favourite animal on earth.
0:42:29 > 0:42:30I've known him for years now
0:42:30 > 0:42:33and we have a bit of an understanding.
0:42:33 > 0:42:34What we're going to do is
0:42:34 > 0:42:36we're going to have Monty bite down on this
0:42:36 > 0:42:39and by the pressure being transmitted along the jaw,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43it deforms the jaw slightly which squeezes the venom out.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46They don't have the compressor muscles like a snake has,
0:42:46 > 0:42:47and instead the venom
0:42:47 > 0:42:51just more oozes rather than being put through like a syringe.
0:42:52 > 0:42:54All right.
0:43:04 > 0:43:07Perfect, yeah. Just keep it exactly like that.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13So as he bites down...
0:43:14 > 0:43:16..that squeezes.
0:43:22 > 0:43:23That's enough.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28So we've got just a little bit of his venom,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31he's got a lot more in there but we don't want to stress him out,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33he's, of course, such an accommodating animal.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35Sorry, Monty.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37Forgive me?
0:43:39 > 0:43:41Yeah, I'm forgiven.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45All right.
0:43:47 > 0:43:51He has some venom, but Bryan needs one final ingredient
0:43:51 > 0:43:53to complete his test.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55His own blood.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03He adds the first sample of blood to some water to act as a control.
0:44:03 > 0:44:09The second is mixed with Monty's venom, then left for 20 minutes.
0:44:10 > 0:44:14Here are the results of our 20-minute blood test
0:44:14 > 0:44:18where in the tube without any venom, it forms a nice normal blood clot,
0:44:18 > 0:44:21while the tube with the sample from Monty, as you can see,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24it's destroyed the ability of the blood to form the blood clot.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27And that's exactly what would happen to a prey animal,
0:44:27 > 0:44:30that's why they continue to bleed,
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and it's a very illustrative way
0:44:32 > 0:44:35to show that there is something in the venom that affects the blood.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43This is an amazing discovery.
0:44:43 > 0:44:46The ability of Monty's venom to prevent blood clotting
0:44:46 > 0:44:49isn't just a revelation for zoologists -
0:44:49 > 0:44:51it could open up new leads in the search for new medicines.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56It'll take Bryan time to analyse the full nature of the venom
0:44:56 > 0:44:58but he knows from past experience
0:44:58 > 0:45:01that venoms can provide us with new superdrugs.
0:45:07 > 0:45:11We now know that a small group of islands in the middle of Indonesia
0:45:11 > 0:45:14are home to the largest venomous animal on this planet.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20It's taken science almost 100 years to realise this.
0:45:22 > 0:45:25In hindsight, the clues were there all along.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32If you look at the lower jaw you can actually see a bulge -
0:45:32 > 0:45:34that's the venom gland.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37If you look in the old reptile anatomy books, it's not in there.
0:45:37 > 0:45:41But if you look at the animals, it's a very obvious structure.
0:45:41 > 0:45:43The way to think about is that it's a combined arsenal,
0:45:43 > 0:45:46that the teeth are the primary weapon,
0:45:46 > 0:45:48that's their first line of attack.
0:45:48 > 0:45:51And then what the venom does is it exaggerates the effects
0:45:51 > 0:45:52of the blood pressure
0:45:52 > 0:45:55so it's basically working in harmony with the teeth.
0:45:55 > 0:45:59It keeps the animal bleeding, drops the blood pressure further
0:45:59 > 0:46:02and the closer you get towards a very low blood pressure,
0:46:02 > 0:46:04the sooner you reach unconsciousness.
0:46:09 > 0:46:12It's likely that the dragon's venomous bite
0:46:12 > 0:46:15evolved long before they reached Komodo.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19We know from the fossil record
0:46:19 > 0:46:24that they spent millions of years hunting the giant animals of Australia's past.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30What in fact they had to eat were giant forest wallabies
0:46:30 > 0:46:33and wombats and weird animals that don't exist on Komodo Island today.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37So the development, the evolution of the venom, the anti-coagulant venom
0:46:37 > 0:46:40has to come from its interaction with these sorts of prey.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45So if you think of a Komodo dragon actually attacking and killing a large kangaroo,
0:46:45 > 0:46:48venom would have been absolutely essential because of the huge feet
0:46:48 > 0:46:53and the killing force of the strike from a kangaroo's hit.
0:46:53 > 0:46:58The extraordinary journey of the Komodo dragon has lasted millions of years
0:46:58 > 0:47:02and taken it from being a top predator in prehistoric Australia
0:47:02 > 0:47:06to living as a castaway survivor on a tiny group of remote islands.
0:47:08 > 0:47:10They fit in here remarkably well.
0:47:10 > 0:47:14It's as if they were made for these islands.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18We know now their large size
0:47:18 > 0:47:21and their venomous ripping bite evolved to tackle
0:47:21 > 0:47:23large animals that have since gone extinct,
0:47:23 > 0:47:29but the dragon has survived by adapting to new opportunities
0:47:29 > 0:47:31and new prey.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40For Bryan, knowing the complex evolutionary journey
0:47:40 > 0:47:44the dragon has taken makes it all the more remarkable.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49The Komodo dragon's unique in that it's the last of the giants.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52It's the only of these mega-beasts still in existence.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57So it's a snapshot back into time when mega-fauna roamed the earth.
0:48:02 > 0:48:07Modern scientific tools have at last revealed many of the dragon's best kept secrets.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13It's a far cry from the early days of dragon research
0:48:13 > 0:48:16when it was still a creature of myth and tall tales.
0:48:18 > 0:48:22Back then, explorers were relying entirely on their wits
0:48:22 > 0:48:24and enthusiasm simply to catch a dragon.
0:48:24 > 0:48:28And how they did that is another story.
0:48:39 > 0:48:41In 1912, the astonishing news came
0:48:41 > 0:48:44that a new lizard had been discovered
0:48:44 > 0:48:47that grew to the astonishing length of 12 feet
0:48:47 > 0:48:49and weighed three hundredweights.
0:48:49 > 0:48:55It was discovered on one tiny little island in the Pacific - Komodo.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57In the 1950s, a young David Attenborough
0:48:57 > 0:49:00was filming a pioneering new TV series called Zoo Quest.
0:49:03 > 0:49:07Each programme was an exotic mix of travel and natural history
0:49:07 > 0:49:10with the primary aim to collect exciting new creatures for London Zoo.
0:49:10 > 0:49:16And the Komodo dragon was the biggest and most dangerous animal on the list.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20But finding it wouldn't be easy.
0:49:20 > 0:49:24When I arrived in Java and went to see the various authorities
0:49:24 > 0:49:25that I needed to get permissions,
0:49:25 > 0:49:28they'd never heard of it. There wasn't anybody in Java
0:49:28 > 0:49:31that I could discover who knew about the Komodo dragon.
0:49:31 > 0:49:34Eventually, Attenborough travelled east of Java
0:49:34 > 0:49:38and after almost a week at sea, reached the island of Komodo.
0:49:38 > 0:49:40There, he enlisted the help of locals
0:49:40 > 0:49:44to help him find the animal they called "the land crocodile".
0:49:44 > 0:49:47All that was known of it as far as I was concerned
0:49:47 > 0:49:50was that it was big, I mean nothing more than that.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52And the rest of it was question marks.
0:49:52 > 0:49:59OK, so it's the biggest land-living lizard in the world, but why?
0:49:59 > 0:50:02And why is it on that small island and nowhere else?
0:50:02 > 0:50:06'We lit a fire and roasted some goat's flesh.'
0:50:06 > 0:50:09It was clear from the start that even the locals had little idea
0:50:09 > 0:50:12about the true nature of this animal.
0:50:12 > 0:50:16'I said, "Were they dangerous to human beings?"
0:50:16 > 0:50:21'And they said, "Well, there was an old man who was killed by a dragon,'
0:50:21 > 0:50:26"but he was very old, you know, and he'd gone out and was sitting in the bush
0:50:26 > 0:50:29"and whether he died before the Komodo dragon got to him or afterwards,
0:50:29 > 0:50:31"we don't really know," they said.
0:50:31 > 0:50:34'Now we had to set about building a trap.'
0:50:37 > 0:50:39Undeterred by the potential dangers,
0:50:39 > 0:50:42Attenborough pressed ahead with the plan to capture a dragon
0:50:42 > 0:50:45for London Zoo.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50'And it works.
0:50:50 > 0:50:56'He put a piece of goat's flesh inside and now all we had to do was to wait.'
0:50:59 > 0:51:02The rotting goat meat soon did the job
0:51:02 > 0:51:06of luring dragons from the forest.
0:51:07 > 0:51:09'And down came the door.
0:51:09 > 0:51:14'Hastily, we piled boulders on the door so that he couldn't lift it up.
0:51:14 > 0:51:15'We'd got him!'
0:51:17 > 0:51:20Catching a dragon proved relatively straightforward,
0:51:20 > 0:51:25but getting the dragon back to England would prove an impossible task.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Unfortunately, in the end, bureaucracy defeated us
0:51:28 > 0:51:32and we weren't given a permit to export those dragons from Indonesia,
0:51:32 > 0:51:34so I'm afraid they're still there.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Attenborough wasn't the first person to try to catch dragons.
0:51:39 > 0:51:44In 1926, an American expedition travelled to Komodo with one big ambition.
0:51:44 > 0:51:48To bring back the first dragons from the wild.
0:51:49 > 0:51:51Expedition leader William Burden
0:51:51 > 0:51:53was an explorer with matinee-idol looks
0:51:53 > 0:51:55and a passion for the natural world.
0:51:57 > 0:52:02Reptile expert ER Dunn accompanied Burden and his wife
0:52:02 > 0:52:04on this daring expedition.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11They would spend several weeks here shooting and trapping dragons,
0:52:11 > 0:52:16and they would capture the first ever images of dragons on film.
0:52:21 > 0:52:25Only two dragons would make it back alive to America.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28The rest were mounted as museum exhibits.
0:52:28 > 0:52:31The presence of these giant creatures from a lost world
0:52:31 > 0:52:34in the metropolis of New York caused a sensation
0:52:34 > 0:52:38and ultimately inspired the movie King Kong.
0:52:45 > 0:52:50At first, zoo dragons were little more than entertainment for an audience.
0:52:50 > 0:52:55No-one had any real idea whether or not these animals killed people,
0:52:55 > 0:52:57and that might explain why zoo visitors
0:52:57 > 0:53:01were happy to let their children pet a dragon's head.
0:53:01 > 0:53:05Whatever the reason, it's unlikely these early dragons
0:53:05 > 0:53:08were in any fit state to attack people.
0:53:12 > 0:53:17Richard Gibson co-ordinates the European zoos' dragon conservation programme,
0:53:17 > 0:53:20and is a curator at Chester Zoo.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22We've learnt a lot about Komodo dragon needs
0:53:22 > 0:53:24in the last even 30 years,
0:53:24 > 0:53:25and certainly Komodo dragons
0:53:25 > 0:53:28being kept outside of their natural range 50, 60, 70, 80 years ago
0:53:28 > 0:53:32almost certainly wouldn't have been getting the appropriate environment.
0:53:32 > 0:53:35So they probably wouldn't have been very fit and healthy.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39We now know that in order for the animal to be in good peak condition,
0:53:39 > 0:53:43they have pretty extreme environmental conditions that we have to replicate.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46Zoo dragons have played a crucial role
0:53:46 > 0:53:49in helping science understand dragon behaviour.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Dragons were once thought to be deaf and poorly sighted,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55but zoo keepers soon realised
0:53:55 > 0:53:59they had excellent eyesight and were able to hear.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Come on. Come on, Flora. Good girl.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04Work with these zoo-captive dragons
0:54:04 > 0:54:07has shown us that they are, for a lizard, an intelligent animal
0:54:07 > 0:54:09that can be easily trained,
0:54:09 > 0:54:12in much the same way as we train dogs today.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14Good girl.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19Flora has been trained to do simple tasks using food rewards.
0:54:19 > 0:54:23So this is a brew of rather smelly fish juice, a bit of blood,
0:54:23 > 0:54:25anything that's really stinky.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27So we pour this around the enclosure
0:54:27 > 0:54:29and make a trail that the dragon will follow.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Occasionally she'll find a fish head,
0:54:31 > 0:54:33a little titbit to keep her motivated.
0:54:33 > 0:54:35That encourages her to be active and foraging.
0:54:35 > 0:54:38Couple of fish heads there to get her going.
0:54:42 > 0:54:46We'd try and do some sort of enrichment every day, really.
0:54:46 > 0:54:50This will just give her new smells, new things in her environment,
0:54:50 > 0:54:54give her a reason to hunt around and enjoy what's going on.
0:54:57 > 0:55:00Although zoos have taught us a lot about dragon behaviour,
0:55:00 > 0:55:04research from wild dragons has given zoo keepers
0:55:04 > 0:55:08a better understanding of the needs of these animals.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10Looks very pleasant, doesn't it?
0:55:10 > 0:55:14And that has helped keeper Matt Swatman improve the dragon's diet.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18On a daily basis they get offered very, very small prey items.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21So we give them things like day-old chicks,
0:55:21 > 0:55:24small fresh-water fish, rodents.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27But obviously the bulk of the nutritional content
0:55:27 > 0:55:29regarding a dragon's diet takes place when we do
0:55:29 > 0:55:33regular carcass feeding every six to eight weeks.
0:55:36 > 0:55:41What we're doing is trying to get the dragon to use
0:55:41 > 0:55:44as much of its muscles as possible
0:55:44 > 0:55:47so it really has to work for the food.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51Basically, in captivity, dragons have the capacity to be quite lazy
0:55:51 > 0:55:55and they don't have to work very hard for their food.
0:55:55 > 0:55:59So to combat that, to get them to use their shoulders
0:55:59 > 0:56:02and that pulling mechanism that in the wild they'd use all the time...
0:56:02 > 0:56:06In the wild when you see Komodo dragons they have beautiful muscle tone,
0:56:06 > 0:56:10and in captivity we're obviously aiming to have the same muscle tone.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14So by hanging the meat up like this we're hoping that the dragon's
0:56:14 > 0:56:17going to use all those muscles to good effect.
0:56:23 > 0:56:28Trooper is a male dragon and has been introduced as a mate for Flora,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31but it seems she doesn't have much respect for him...
0:56:31 > 0:56:33yet.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36Last time we put them together, unfortunately she beat him up.
0:56:36 > 0:56:39In dragon mating it's all about the dynamic.
0:56:39 > 0:56:42Generally it's a good idea if the female has a healthy respect
0:56:42 > 0:56:45or a fear of the male, really.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49Breeding dragons rarely become headline news
0:56:49 > 0:56:51like pandas or gorillas.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54But Flora proved to be an exception.
0:56:54 > 0:56:57In fact, her journey to motherhood was so exceptional,
0:56:57 > 0:56:59some people hailed it as a miracle.
0:56:59 > 0:57:01She came to fame a few years ago
0:57:01 > 0:57:04when she was the first Komodo dragon in the world
0:57:04 > 0:57:05to knowingly produce
0:57:05 > 0:57:07parthenogenic offspring, virgin conception,
0:57:07 > 0:57:11eggs produced that were fertile without any interaction with a male.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17We didn't know about this in Komodo dragons before
0:57:17 > 0:57:19so my colleague and myself, we organised for
0:57:19 > 0:57:22samples from the fertile eggs here in Chester
0:57:22 > 0:57:23to be analysed genetically,
0:57:23 > 0:57:26and the genetic fingerprinting work that we did
0:57:26 > 0:57:29demonstrated that the eggs had been fertilized without a male
0:57:29 > 0:57:32and it was in fact a virgin conception or parthenogenesis.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36It seems there are many aspects of dragon behaviour
0:57:36 > 0:57:41that would've gone unnoticed without the help of zoo dragons.
0:57:43 > 0:57:48And whether in zoos or in the wild, dragons have pleased and awed crowds
0:57:48 > 0:57:50for almost a century.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59But there are no doubt many more secrets they have yet to reveal
0:57:59 > 0:58:00to their admiring audience.
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