1 00:00:01,560 --> 00:00:04,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff from the Science Lab from how stuff 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:15,840 Speaker 1: works dot com. Hey, this is Alison I don't know, 3 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,000 Speaker 1: like the science and how stuff works dot com. And 4 00:00:18,040 --> 00:00:20,079 Speaker 1: this is Robert Lamb, science writer at how stuff works 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,840 Speaker 1: dot com. So, Alison, you've got a dog, right, do 6 00:00:22,880 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: you have a dog? Yeah? I have. I have a 7 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:28,040 Speaker 1: cat myself, And I think one thing that these two 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:32,720 Speaker 1: species sharing and in common is the ability to vomit, 9 00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 1: like on a daily basis, And not now the the ability, 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 1: but just the willingness and sheer desire to vomit. Yeah, 11 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: it does seem like I spent a lot of my 12 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:45,320 Speaker 1: life these days cleaning up accidents, either of the pet 13 00:00:45,479 --> 00:00:48,200 Speaker 1: or children variety. The thing that gets to me about 14 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: the cat is that she will only vomit on things 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: like carpet or like we have hardwoods and then we 16 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 1: have like some areas of carpet, and like she will 17 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,440 Speaker 1: you'll hear like vomiting. I would be in the night 18 00:00:59,440 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: and I'll hear of her warming up to the vomit, 19 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: and I'll and I'll wake up. I could be in 20 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:06,040 Speaker 1: like a deep dream state and I'll wake up and 21 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: I'll be all right. She's in the house, she's about 22 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: to vomit. So I go and find her, and she'll 23 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: be on this little rug right about the up shut 24 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:12,560 Speaker 1: And I take her off, and I set her on 25 00:01:12,600 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: the hardwoods, because at least she vomits on the hard woods. 26 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: Clean up, easy to clean up. Set her on the hardwood, 27 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: and she scampers over to another carpet, like she can 28 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:22,040 Speaker 1: only throw up on a carpet. It is true, they 29 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: do display a remarkable propensity for display for for puking 30 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:28,520 Speaker 1: on carpet. Why is that there are dogs the same way? Yeah, 31 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,040 Speaker 1: they are. They love to to throw up on a carpet. 32 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: But the point of this barthring anecdote is that mixed 33 00:01:35,560 --> 00:01:37,679 Speaker 1: both of us pretty glad that we don't have Commodo dragons, 34 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,320 Speaker 1: because you know, cat throp dog throp is nothing compared 35 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: to what you might see, uh, come out of a 36 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,520 Speaker 1: Komodo dragon after it eights a a goat. Yeah. And 37 00:01:47,560 --> 00:01:49,720 Speaker 1: if you're wondering how this looks like, do a YouTube 38 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,800 Speaker 1: search for Komodo dragon and vomit and you'll get to 39 00:01:52,880 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: see a lovely video set to some really really interesting 40 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: musical choice vomiting up a part fully digested goat leg. So, 41 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: now that we've thoroughly upset your stomach. Let's tell you 42 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:08,239 Speaker 1: why we're talking about Commodo dragons. Robert and I over 43 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,600 Speaker 1: at has to First dot Com have been immersed in 44 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,040 Speaker 1: um writing content for this upcoming really neat series that's 45 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,799 Speaker 1: going to premiere on the Discovery Channel called Life. You 46 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: watch Planet Earth and this is this is the same 47 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:24,119 Speaker 1: bunch of people, the same just completely addictive thing, beautiful 48 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: footage of just some of the amazing tidbits from our 49 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,679 Speaker 1: natural world. Right it's a planet Earth was habitat focused, 50 00:02:30,760 --> 00:02:34,480 Speaker 1: and Life will be focused on the amazing species populating 51 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,040 Speaker 1: our planet and their remarkable behaviors. And in one of 52 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: the episodes on reptiles and amphibians, the komodo dragon is 53 00:02:43,160 --> 00:02:46,040 Speaker 1: prominently featured. Yeah, and Robert and I were very very 54 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:48,000 Speaker 1: impressed by the Commodo dragons because you see them in 55 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: the zoo and you know they're not doing much. Maybe 56 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: they're fed of frozen rat or something. They're kind of lethargic, 57 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: as they tend to be cold blooded. They're not exerting 58 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: any more energy than they need to. And let me 59 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,320 Speaker 1: point out, at least they have the excuse of being 60 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,640 Speaker 1: cold blooded. On like the panda which just sits there, 61 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 1: warm blooded, not doing anything and gets all the attention. 62 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,760 Speaker 1: That's a separate tangent. But anyway, so we really wanted 63 00:03:09,800 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: to do a podcast on those crazy Komodos that we've 64 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: been writing about. And just for those of you're interested, 65 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: the series is going to premiere in March. Unless you 66 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: know of your British you've already seen it. So let's 67 00:03:19,639 --> 00:03:22,240 Speaker 1: give you a greick introduction to the Komodo dragon. The 68 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 1: komodo is about nine feet long. It lives over on 69 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 1: unlimited range of islands in Indonesia, one of which is 70 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: Komodo Island, and it's the most intelligent and the largest 71 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: lizard in the world. Yeah, and this, uh, this is 72 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 1: a top predator we're talking about here. The only thing 73 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: that eats Komodo dragons, it's other commodo dragons. I mean, 74 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,640 Speaker 1: unless you're going into some pretty strange restaurants, you're not 75 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,560 Speaker 1: going to find it on the menu. Um. And when 76 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: I say they eat other Komodo dragons, like like a 77 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:50,840 Speaker 1: lot of species, they'll eat their their own if they 78 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,840 Speaker 1: happen to be wounded or weak or dead. Uh, the 79 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:57,080 Speaker 1: Komodo dragon is really big commodo dragon will eat fresh food, 80 00:03:57,440 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: it'll it'll kill something an idiot. But if it's something's 81 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: been setting around on it's a little rotten, you know. 82 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: The commodo dragons not gonna I'm not gonna pass that up. 83 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:06,840 Speaker 1: So yeah, it'll eat up. It'll eat one of its 84 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: its own of its rotting on the side of the path. 85 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: But they're also quite fond of their own young. A 86 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:14,840 Speaker 1: female kommoto dragon will lay the eggs in a burrow 87 00:04:15,400 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: and then just leave them. Komodos dragons have no further 88 00:04:18,520 --> 00:04:20,359 Speaker 1: role in the raising of the young, so it's not 89 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: practicing touchment parenting right now. If there's definitely mammal they 90 00:04:25,040 --> 00:04:29,039 Speaker 1: want to practice like ingestion parenting because if they find 91 00:04:29,080 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: any of the smaller like a hatchling komotos, they will 92 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:36,280 Speaker 1: eat them up. So well, how does the hatchling prevent this? Well, 93 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: they have to two methods. One method is to pretty 94 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: much live in the trees, and the kimotos can climb 95 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:43,920 Speaker 1: trees when they really want to, but these guys will 96 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: stay up in the higher branches and just stay out 97 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,200 Speaker 1: of side. The other tactic is of course to roll 98 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,720 Speaker 1: themselves in fecal matter, because it's like the Kommoto dragon 99 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,239 Speaker 1: will eat just about anything, but it's not that big 100 00:04:55,279 --> 00:04:59,040 Speaker 1: on eating things that are that are you know, covered 101 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:03,719 Speaker 1: in app More on that later. Um, it's a great podcast. 102 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: You get your vomit and your crab content on one. 103 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:08,840 Speaker 1: So yeah, in terms of other things they'll eat, though, 104 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:13,039 Speaker 1: they'll they'll take down at um, things like like deer, 105 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,159 Speaker 1: they'll take down you know, rats or whatever, you know, 106 00:05:16,240 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: smaller animals. But then they'll even take down water buffalo occasionally. 107 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: And we're gonna get more into the hunting technique bees 108 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,200 Speaker 1: in a minute, because it just just like takes weeks 109 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: while they wait for the thing to die, and then 110 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:32,040 Speaker 1: when it's time to eat it, they just throw themselves 111 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:34,279 Speaker 1: at it, the big ones. Anyway, you end up having 112 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,200 Speaker 1: this kind of like circle of feeding with the komodos. Yeah, 113 00:05:37,240 --> 00:05:39,599 Speaker 1: it's communal, but it's not really generous per se. No, No, 114 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: it's not. It's not like a Thanksgiving dinner or not 115 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,880 Speaker 1: like my Thanksgiving dinners. Some families probably do it differently. 116 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: It would be like if your Thanksgiving dinner consists of 117 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,640 Speaker 1: like your three largest uncles rolling around in a carcass 118 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: and throwing elbows and then like the smaller members of 119 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: the family are on the grandma oscar. Yeah, Grandma's an outscars, 120 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,159 Speaker 1: just trying to like reach in and grasp a chicken leg. 121 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: And then all the little kids are just out in 122 00:06:04,000 --> 00:06:07,200 Speaker 1: the bushes hoping that there are other family members. Don't 123 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,400 Speaker 1: eat them while they're waiting for scraps. That's pretty much 124 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: what you have. And they will eat pretty much everything. 125 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,839 Speaker 1: These guys clean their plates. Researchers have observed them eating 126 00:06:18,040 --> 00:06:20,440 Speaker 1: uppers of eight percent of their own body weight. Like 127 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: when they're through, they're just completely like dragging gut back 128 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 1: to their burrows there. It's just amazing. These guys have recliners. 129 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: Would be billing up for hours in front of the the 130 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: TV after Yeah, and and it's in the things they 131 00:06:33,120 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: can't necessarily digest everything. They can digest a lot, but 132 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:40,000 Speaker 1: like say they eat some hide, some bone, some antlers 133 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: or something, they can't digest that. So a little later 134 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,600 Speaker 1: they just vomited all up. And this uh, just disgusting 135 00:06:46,640 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: smelling ball known as a gastric pellet. Yeah, but it 136 00:06:50,680 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: doesn't really look like a pellet. It more looks like 137 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:56,600 Speaker 1: a like a basketball made of half digested goat. There 138 00:06:56,600 --> 00:06:58,359 Speaker 1: are some animals out there that aren't big on eating 139 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,880 Speaker 1: the actual guts of an animal. Um. The komodo will. 140 00:07:01,920 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: But like we said earlier, that the little ones roll 141 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:05,960 Speaker 1: around in the crap so that they won't get eaten. 142 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,159 Speaker 1: So the komodo before it will eat the intestines, it 143 00:07:09,200 --> 00:07:12,840 Speaker 1: will take them in its mouth and sling them around. Yeah, 144 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,080 Speaker 1: so that all the fecal matter goes flying out into 145 00:07:16,120 --> 00:07:19,679 Speaker 1: the forest. And then once it's nice and clean, they'll 146 00:07:19,720 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: they'll eat the guts as well. They'll partake of the intestineous. 147 00:07:24,400 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 1: They are ravenous and vile creatures, but we still love 148 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:32,040 Speaker 1: them amazingly cool too. So let's talk about some of 149 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,120 Speaker 1: their hunting techniques. I mean, how would a komodo dragon 150 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,600 Speaker 1: take down a water buffalo? So a live one, because 151 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:40,960 Speaker 1: like we said, they'll eat the dead one, but a 152 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:43,560 Speaker 1: live water buffalo is a different proposition. Well, part of 153 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: it is ambush. I mean really, all they need to 154 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: do is they need to sit around and wait for 155 00:07:48,080 --> 00:07:50,960 Speaker 1: some great ambling beasts to come by, and they need 156 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: to land one good bye. And why do they need 157 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:55,320 Speaker 1: to land one good bite? Well because they have venom 158 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,840 Speaker 1: and their mouths are really just this crazy cottail of 159 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: bacteria and venom. So even if the bite doesn't kill 160 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,520 Speaker 1: the animal instantly, the venom and the bacteria will do 161 00:08:07,560 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: their work and the animal, no matter how big, will 162 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:13,160 Speaker 1: likely die. I think it takes a goat sized animal 163 00:08:13,160 --> 00:08:16,640 Speaker 1: about four days. Um. The buffalo took took much longer 164 00:08:16,680 --> 00:08:18,800 Speaker 1: than that. But again, you can watch this in life. 165 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: It's really an amazing scene. It's a mouthful of just 166 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: serrated peece too, so it's a pretty nasty bite anyway, 167 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,520 Speaker 1: even if it's like a mouthful steak knives or something 168 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: dirty nasty snake knives. Yeah, And some of the toxins 169 00:08:31,760 --> 00:08:34,480 Speaker 1: in there, one of them causes intestinal cramps and it 170 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: makes the animal, the prey, more sensitive to pain. And 171 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:39,959 Speaker 1: then you have another toxin in there that causes hypothermia. 172 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,680 Speaker 1: And then of course, as if that weren't enough, um, 173 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:47,160 Speaker 1: other toxins will make the animal just bleed like crazy, 174 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: and from the outside like the prey looks stunned and 175 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:52,959 Speaker 1: which is kind of quiet. Yeah. One of the interesting 176 00:08:52,960 --> 00:08:56,000 Speaker 1: things about the like the water buffalo that they study 177 00:08:56,040 --> 00:08:59,240 Speaker 1: in life is that they actually observed the wound healing up, 178 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:04,720 Speaker 1: but the but the venom was doing its work inside 179 00:09:04,720 --> 00:09:08,559 Speaker 1: the animal. So so beside the venom, we have stuff 180 00:09:08,600 --> 00:09:11,439 Speaker 1: like the tongue. Um. So if you're not hanging out 181 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: at a watering hole with a great big water buffle, 182 00:09:13,280 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 1: you have to find your prey right well, the tongue 183 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: is actually the komotives smelling mechanism, So kind of get 184 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,040 Speaker 1: in your head this picture of a lizard flicking its 185 00:09:24,080 --> 00:09:26,719 Speaker 1: tongue out. So what it's doing with its tongue is 186 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: it's flicking out and it's catching air molecules and then 187 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: it's scraping them on the inside of its mouth and 188 00:09:32,679 --> 00:09:36,600 Speaker 1: it's analyzing them essentially, and the fork tongue is giving 189 00:09:36,600 --> 00:09:40,280 Speaker 1: you directions for example, like if the tongue's left fork 190 00:09:40,760 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 1: has more scent molecules, then the dragon knows you're hiding 191 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:45,600 Speaker 1: on the left, and so it's just constantly flicking its 192 00:09:45,640 --> 00:09:48,120 Speaker 1: tongue back and forth to follow its prey. It's kind 193 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: of like smells in three D. Yeah, it's a it's 194 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: a funky tongue. And then of course we have the teeth. 195 00:09:54,440 --> 00:09:56,120 Speaker 1: You know, once you once you get in close to 196 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: the to the prey, if then you can land that bite. 197 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: But their their teeth are and jaws are really not 198 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,280 Speaker 1: that impressive. I mean, they have the steak news and everything, 199 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: but the bite itself is I think similar to a 200 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,080 Speaker 1: cat's strength. It's it's not very it's not very strong. 201 00:10:11,160 --> 00:10:13,160 Speaker 1: What really is the secret weapon is the vatam. So 202 00:10:13,320 --> 00:10:16,520 Speaker 1: once the Commodo dragon eats its prey and I mean 203 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 1: eating kind of loosely because it doesn't choose before swallowing, 204 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,640 Speaker 1: it just kind of ingest cole like a snake, it 205 00:10:23,640 --> 00:10:25,920 Speaker 1: can unhinge its jaws and it can open them to 206 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: swallow these just like ginormous chunks of meat that are 207 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:31,600 Speaker 1: larger than their heads. Yeah, it's like Poko to Chow 208 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:35,120 Speaker 1: or any of those big steak chains, you know, right, So, 209 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:36,800 Speaker 1: can you picture yourself going to one of these, like 210 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: Brazilian meat places and unhinging your jaw because, like, you know, 211 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: imbibing whole this giant steak. Yeah, that's kind of what 212 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,719 Speaker 1: the commoted is. Generally one table of Commodo dragons, and 213 00:10:46,840 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: most major steak restaurants like that don't sit next to them. 214 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: Once it ingests this huge mass of meat, it travels 215 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:58,360 Speaker 1: undigested to the stomach, and the stomach you know, stretches 216 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: as it as its needs to do, and there's a 217 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: very powerful stomach acid there which can dissolve a lot 218 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: of those crazy parts at the Komodo just state, but 219 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: not everything, as Robert has thoughtfully pointed out, tell me 220 00:11:11,240 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: about the people who are shipwrecked on the on the 221 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: island with Commodo dragons. Yeah, so there's a news story 222 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: of ways back about some divers who were left stranded 223 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:22,600 Speaker 1: on a diving expedition. They swam to shore and who 224 00:11:22,800 --> 00:11:25,640 Speaker 1: they're so excited they finally made land, and um, they 225 00:11:25,640 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: had to wait for a rescue. I guess somebody. I 226 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,080 Speaker 1: don't I don't know how they got said rescue, but 227 00:11:30,200 --> 00:11:32,160 Speaker 1: they got onto this island, and the island happened to 228 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:35,680 Speaker 1: be populated by Komodo dragons, and the Komodo dragons, of 229 00:11:35,720 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 1: course have this very keen sense of smell, and they 230 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: were able to spot the divers. And so for the 231 00:11:41,520 --> 00:11:43,720 Speaker 1: next few days, while the divers waited for a rescue, 232 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:46,800 Speaker 1: they had to fight off Komodo dragons by like screaming 233 00:11:46,840 --> 00:11:49,679 Speaker 1: at them and throwing rocks at them. So can you imagine, 234 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: I mean, you finally swim to shore, you know, you're 235 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: on tropical islands kind of like lost. Yeah, perhaps except 236 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,559 Speaker 1: the shorter duration. If you're on the island of the 237 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,280 Speaker 1: Komodo Us and eventually you get saved, but not before 238 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: having to fight off committed dragons. They're not above taking 239 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:08,600 Speaker 1: on human prey, especially if if you're wounded and they're 240 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:11,640 Speaker 1: protected species. So you get shipwrecked on an island full 241 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:14,000 Speaker 1: of komotos, you can't very well just go around braining 242 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 1: them in the head with rocks and frying them up yourself, 243 00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,080 Speaker 1: and good luck competing with them, right, So did you 244 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: interview the guy, Yeah, you interviewed one of the uh, 245 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,920 Speaker 1: the cameraman on that particular shoot, and it really really 246 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,559 Speaker 1: really fascinating story, just the filming of it because they 247 00:12:31,559 --> 00:12:34,480 Speaker 1: had to just they had to march miles to this site, 248 00:12:34,520 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: to this watering hole every day. They couldn't actually spend 249 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: the night out there because it was too dangerous. Um 250 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: you know, they had to stay at this camp. So 251 00:12:43,559 --> 00:12:45,480 Speaker 1: they're lugging all this equipment out and then they ended 252 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: up just having to wait for this to happen, wait 253 00:12:47,760 --> 00:12:50,640 Speaker 1: for these komotos too, because the water buffalo is is 254 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: a pretty dangerous prey. It can trample the dragon, it 255 00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:58,480 Speaker 1: can can Yeah, So, like I said, they're opportunists. So 256 00:12:58,520 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 1: it's like it's a matter of one of these dragons 257 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: getting cocky enough and hungry enough to dare to take 258 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: that bite, and then it's weeks of waiting for the 259 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: thing to die. And so they had to sit there 260 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: and wait for the water buffalo to die and and 261 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:13,520 Speaker 1: trail it all over the island. Yeah, and they end 262 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: up getting really attached. I mean maybe not attached, but 263 00:13:16,280 --> 00:13:18,400 Speaker 1: you know, if you're watching like a pack of you know, 264 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:21,959 Speaker 1: eight komotos um, you know, waiting to devour a water 265 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 1: buffalo basically devour it alive, you know, who are you 266 00:13:26,080 --> 00:13:30,240 Speaker 1: gonna sympathize with? Not the dragon really so um. So 267 00:13:30,320 --> 00:13:32,120 Speaker 1: there was a whole emotional side to that. And then 268 00:13:32,240 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: just just being around like too dangerous creatures because water 269 00:13:35,960 --> 00:13:38,959 Speaker 1: buffalo gets stooked, it can run you over. Uh. And 270 00:13:39,040 --> 00:13:41,440 Speaker 1: the komodos, like I said, they're not opposed to taking 271 00:13:41,440 --> 00:13:43,960 Speaker 1: a bite out of a human if the opportunity presents itself. 272 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:46,600 Speaker 1: Did the staff have any close calls. Yeah, yeah, they did. Well, 273 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: they had some some local guides that came along with 274 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,680 Speaker 1: him with sticks. Uh. We just kind of like push 275 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: them out of the way if they got too close 276 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 1: to the camera. But there was one scene he was 277 00:13:55,360 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 1: telling me about where, um, this was early in the chase. 278 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:00,679 Speaker 1: I guess the water buffalo sor hat a fair amount 279 00:14:00,679 --> 00:14:02,560 Speaker 1: of energy and the water buffalo was moving through the 280 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:07,040 Speaker 1: forest and the komodos we're chasing after it. So the cameraman, 281 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,079 Speaker 1: the life camera crew, they just said, hey, let's we're 282 00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: gonna flank this this this buffalo, get ahead of it, 283 00:14:11,800 --> 00:14:14,439 Speaker 1: film it coming towards us, and then we'll film the 284 00:14:14,559 --> 00:14:17,280 Speaker 1: komodos following it. And I think it was like like 285 00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:21,240 Speaker 1: there were five komodos trailing the water buffalo at that time. 286 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,160 Speaker 1: So he gets ahead and they booth get ahead, they 287 00:14:23,160 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: set up the camera and they only see four komodo 288 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,440 Speaker 1: dragons and yeah, yeah, and then one of the dudes 289 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: it's like like, hey, they're just four. And then another 290 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:33,960 Speaker 1: guy goes goes, hey, you know behind you look, it 291 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: turns around and there's a komodo coming right behind him. 292 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: Like the komodo had the same plan as the cameraman 293 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:43,080 Speaker 1: to flank the prey and you know, one bite from 294 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: those guys and uh, you know it's not a pretty picture. Yeah, 295 00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: so you guys are gonna have to check out Life 296 00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: when It comes out, because it's a pretty amazing series. 297 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:52,600 Speaker 1: Might even make you want to get a pet Komodo. 298 00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,240 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think on that one you'll look 299 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: pretty awesome being the only person in your neighborhood with 300 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: a Komodo on a chain. Yeah, definitely. So if you 301 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: have any thoughts about commotives or just want to send 302 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,560 Speaker 1: us an email, you know where to find us signed 303 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: stuff at how stuff works dot com, or brush up 304 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:09,840 Speaker 1: on commotive at um over at the site, or come 305 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: check out the blogs. We're gonna be blogging quite a 306 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,600 Speaker 1: bit about Life when It Starts, aaring and uh, as 307 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: well as any other interesting scientific kidbit that comes our way. 308 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:28,240 Speaker 1: All right, thanks for listening, guys. For more on this 309 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: and thousands of other topics, is it how stuff works 310 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: dot com. Want more how stuff works, check out our 311 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 1: blogs on the house stuff works dot com home page.