Curious About Incredible Komodo Dragons? Try This Fun Math-filled Quiz for Kids...
Komodo dragons hold a special place in our hearts here at Komodo learning - no surprises there!
In fact, Komodo Learning is so named because of a drawing of a Komodo dragon done by one of the original Komodo kids, which was hanging up in the kitchen when the app was first being developed.
And you have to admit, these fascinating creatures which look so much like the dragons of myth and legend are pretty amazing. So, as we are continually looking for the math in the world around us, we've put together some of our favourite Komodo dragon related facts and figures (and a few math questions for the kids to tackle as you go!)
Komodo dragons are the largest of all the lizards and currently only live on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, and Gili Motang. This is where the Komodo National Park has been created with their protection in mind.
They reach an incredible 10 feet in length, half of which is made up by their tail, and they weigh up to 150 lb in the wild.
Q: If 3 dragons stood nose to tail, how long would they be altogether?
10 feet (length of one dragon) by 3 = 30 feet
They use their forked tongues to smell, much like a snake, and they can detect prey up to 2 and a half miles away. They can see objects around 980 feet away, but their night vision is poor, and they can see things that move much easier than things that stay still.
They have up to 60 serrated teeth which are approximately an inch long - that's quite a mouthful!
Q. How many teeth do seven Komodo dragons have altogether?
60 teeth x 7 dragons = 420 teeth altogether (a scary thought!)
Komodo dragons can run at 13 miles per hour. This is the burst of speed they need to take down their prey. When they catch their prey, which is usually deer, pigs or water buffalo, a Komodo dragon can eat up to 80% of its body weight in one meal.
Q. What's the biggest meal the heaviest Komodo dragon can eat in one go?
Hint: To answer this, you need to find 80% of the heaviest dragon which is 150lb.
Answer: 120lb
Baby dragons come from eggs. Komodo dragons lay up to 20 eggs at a time.
Q. If a quarter get eaten by another Komodo dragon (yes, this really happens!) how many baby dragons will hatch?
A quarter of 20 is 5. We can find this out by dividing 20 by 4 to find one quarter =5. Then we take that quarter away from the total: 20 - 5 = 15.
Unfortunately, these incredible animals are endangered due to the loss of their natural habitat through deforestation and rising sea levels. We'd very much like to see the Komodo dragon population thrive (not least because of their relationship to our animated Komodo friends!) and closely follow the developments in the Komodo National Park which was created to help protect these magnificent creatures.
We hope you've enjoyed finding the math in the real-life version of our mascot, the Komodo dragon!
I’m Ged, co-founder of Komodo, ex-math teacher and dad. If you have any questions please get in touch.
About Komodo – Komodo is a fun and effective way to boost K-5 math skills. Designed for 5 to 11 year olds to use in the home, Komodo uses a little and often approach to learning math (15 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week) that fits into your busy routine. Komodo helps users develop fluency and confidence in math – without keeping them at the screen for long.
And now we've also got Komodo English - check it out here.
