Komodo dragons

Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of Indonesia's Lesser Sunda Islands for millions of years, although amazingly, their existence was unknown to humans until about 100 years ago.

Reaching 10 feet (3 meters) in length and more than 300 pounds (136 kilograms), Komodo dragons are the heaviest lizards on Earth. They have long, flat heads with rounded snouts, scaly skin, bowed legs, and huge, muscular tails.

As the dominant predators on the handful of islands they inhabit, they will eat almost anything, including carrion, deer, pigs, smaller dragons, and even large water buffalo and humans. When hunting, Komodo dragons rely on camouflage and patience, lying in wait for passing prey. When a victim ambles by, the dragon springs, using its powerful legs, sharp claws and serrated, shark-like teeth to eviscerate its prey.

Animals that escape the jaws of a Komodo will only feel lucky briefly. Dragon saliva teems with over 50 strains of bacteria, and within 24 hours, the stricken creature usually dies of blood poisoning. Dragons calmly follow an escapee for miles as the bacteria takes effect, using their keen sense of smell to hone in on the corpse. A dragon can eat a whopping 80 percent of its body weight in a single feeding.

There is a stable population of about 3,000 to 5,000 Komodo dragons on the islands of Komodo, Gila Motang, Rinca, and Flores. However, a dearth of egg-laying females, poaching, human encroachment, and natural disasters has driven the species to endangered status.

american crocodile history

The American crocodile is considered an endangered species in nearly all parts of its North, Central, and South American range. Survey data, except in the United States, is poor or nonexistent, but conservationists agree that illegal hunting and habitat depletion has reduced populations of this wide-ranging reptile to critical levels.

A small, remnant population lives in southern Florida, but most are found in southern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Their habitat of choice is the fresh or brackish water of river estuaries, coastal lagoons, and mangrove swamps.

A prehistoric-looking creature, it is distinguishable from its cousin, the American alligator, by its longer, thinner snout, its lighter color, and two long teeth on the lower jaw that are visible when its mouth is closed.

This species is among the largest of the world's crocodiles, with Central and South American males reaching lengths of up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). Males in the U.S. population rarely exceed 13 feet (4 meters), however.

Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, birds, fish, crabs, insects, snails, frogs, and occasionally carrion. They have been known to attack people, but are far more likely to flee at the sight of humans.

Most countries in the American crocodile's range have passed protection laws, but unfortunately, few governments provide adequate enforcement.

interesting facts

Fast Facts

Type:

Reptile

Diet:

Carnivore

Average life span in the wild:

Up to 70 years

Size:

Up to 15 ft (4.6 m)

Weight:

Up to 2,000 lbs (907 kg)

Group name:

Bask (on land) or float (in water)

Protection status:

Endangered

Did you know?

One of the largest known populations of American crocodiles is in the Dominican Republic's Lago Enriquillo, a landlocked, hypersaline lake located about 131 ft (40 m) below sea level.

Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:

biggest anaconda history

iMember of the boa family, South America’s green anaconda is, pound for pound, the largest snake in the world. Its cousin, the reticulated python, can reach slightly greater lengths, but the enormous girth of the anaconda makes it almost twice as heavy.

Green anacondas can grow to more than 29 feet (8.8 meters), weigh more than 550 pounds (227 kilograms), and measure more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) in diameter. Females are significantly larger than males. Other anaconda species, all from South America and all smaller than the green anaconda, are the yellow, dark-spotted, and Bolivian varieties.

Anacondas live in swamps, marshes, and slow-moving streams, mainly in the tropical rain forests of the Amazon and Orinoco basins. They are cumbersome on land, but stealthy and sleek in the water. Their eyes and nasal openings are on top of their heads, allowing them to lay in wait for prey while remaining nearly completely submerged.

They reach their monumental size on a diet of wild pigs, deer, birds, turtles, capybara, caimans, and even jaguars. Anacondas are nonvenomous constrictors, coiling their muscular bodies around captured prey and squeezing until the animal asphyxiates. Jaws attached by stretchy ligaments allow them to swallow their prey whole, no matter the size, and they can go weeks or months without food after a big meal.

Female anacondas retain their eggs and give birth to two to three dozen live young. Baby snakes are about 2 feet (0.6 meters) long when they are born and are almost immediately able to swim and hunt. Their lifespan in the wild is about ten years.

List of countries by number of mobile phones in use

List

Rank	Country or region	Number of mobile phones	Population	% of population	Last updated
—	World	5,000,000,001	6,901,400,000	72.6	2010[1]
1	China	853,400,000	1,342,470,000	62.8	Jan 2011 [2] [3] [4] [5]
2	India	752,190,678	1,194,390,000	63.22	Dec. 2010[6]
3	United States	292,847,098	310,866,000	91.0	June. 2010[7] [8]
4	Russia	213,900,000	141,914,509	147.3	Jun. 2010[9][10]
5	Brazil	202,940,000	190,732,694	106.4	Dec. 2010 [11]
6	Indonesia	168,264,000	237,556,363	73.1	May. 2009[12]
7	Pakistan	101,641,122	171,901,000	60.32	Nov.2010[13]
8	Japan	107,490,000	127,370,000	84.1	Mar. 2009[14]
9	Germany	107,000,000	81,882,342	130.1	2009[15]
10	Mexico	88,797,186	112,322,757	79.8	Sep.2010[16]
11	Italy	88,580,000	60,090,400	147.4	Dec.2008[17]
12	Philippines	78,000,000	92,226,600	73.6	January 2010[18]
13	Nigeria	76,000,000	158,259,000	50.3	Dec. 2009[19]
14	United Kingdom	75,750,000	61,612,300	122.9	Dec. 2008[20]
15	Turkey	66,000,000	71,517,100	92.2	2009[21]
16	Bangladesh	65,142,000	150,093,000	40.2	Sep. 2010[22]
17	France	58,730,000	65,073,842	90.2	Dec. 2008[23]
18	Thailand	56,170,908	65,001,021	81.0	2009[citation needed]
19	Ukraine	54,377,000	46,143,700	117.9	April. 2009[24]
20	Iran	52,000,000	75,078,000	69.3	2010[25][26]
21	Spain	50,890,000	45,828,172	111.0	Dec. 2008[27]
22	Argentina	50,409,800	40,134,425	125.6	2010[28]
23	South Korea	47,000,000	48,333,000	97.2	2009[29]
24	Poland	44,960,000	38,115,967	117.9	2009[30]
25	South Africa	42,300,000	47,850,700	82.9	2007[citation needed]
26	Colombia	40,300,000	45,393,050	88.7	2009[citation needed]
27	Vietnam	34,500,000	89,375,000	38.8	October 2010[31]
28	Egypt	60,800,000	79,100,000	76.8	2010[32]
29	Algeria	30,000,000	35,000,000	85.7	2009[33]
30	Venezuela	27,400,000	28,200,000	98.0	2008[citation needed]
31	Peru	27,100,000	29,000,000	95.5	Dec. 2010[34]
32	Taiwan	25,412,000	22,974,347	110.6	2008[citation needed]
33	Romania	22,800,000	21,438,000	108.5	March 2008[citation needed]
34	Canada	24,037,372	34,238,035	70.2	Q3 2010[35]
35	Morocco	27,050,000	32,993,000	81.9	Q1 2010[36]
36	Netherlands	20,000,000	16,515,057	121.1	Nov. 2009[37]
37	Australia	19,760,000	21,179,211	93.3	2006[citation needed]
38	Saudi Arabia	46,000,000	27,137,000	169.5	Jun 2010[38]
39	Malaysia	30,379,000	28,250,000	106	2010[39]
40	Chile	19,388,000	17,094,270	113.4	Dec. 2010 [40]
41	Portugal	14,500,000	10,632,000	137.0	2008[citation needed]
42	Hong Kong	13,264,896	7,008,900[41]	187.9	Nov. 2010 [42]
43	Belgium	11,822,000	10,414,000	113.6	2009[citation needed]
44	Hungary	11,833,000	10,020,000	118.3	Sept. 2010[citation needed]
45	Bulgaria	10,655,000	7,600,000	140.2	2008 [43]
46	Nepal	10,001,670	28,500,000	35.09	Nov 2010 [43]
47	Israel	9,319,000	7,310,000	127.5	2008 [43]
48	Denmark	7,000,000	5,543,819	126.2	February 2008[44]
49	Azerbaijan	7,000,000	8,900,000	78.7	November 2009 [45]
50	Jordan	6,010,000	5,950,000	101.0	March 2010 [46]
51	Singapore	4,770,000	6,400,000	74.5	November 2009[citation needed]
52	New Zealand	4,620,000	4,252,277	108.6	2008[47]
53	Estonia	1,982,000	1,340,602	147.8	April 2009[citation needed]
54	Lebanon	2,720,000	4,224,000	64.4	Oct 2010[48]
55	Lithuania	4,960,000	3,341,966	148.4	February 2010[49]
56	Montenegro	1,294,167	672,180	192.53	Dec 2009[50]