Try our fun Komodo dragon maths quiz
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 maths in the world around us, we've put together some of our favourite Komodo dragon related facts and figures (and a few maths 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 3 metres in length, half of which is made up by their tail, and they weigh up to 70 kilograms.
Q: If 3 dragons stood nose to tail, how long would they be altogether?
3 metres (length of one dragon) by 3 = 9 metres
They use their forked tongues to smell, much like a snake, and they can detect prey up to 4km away. They can see objects around 300 metres away, but their night vision is poor, and they can see things that move much easier than things that stay still.
Q. From how much further away can a Komodo dragon smell prey, than it can see it?
Hint: Take how far they can see away from how far they can smell to get the difference!
4km - 300m = 3.7km, or 3,700m
They have up to 60 serrated teeth which measure approximately 2.5 cm in length - 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 20kmph. 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 70kg.
Answer: 56kg
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 maths in the real-life version of our mascot, the Komodo dragon!
I’m Ged, co-founder of Komodo, ex-maths teacher and dad. If you have any questions please get in touch.
About Komodo – Komodo is a fun and effective way to boost primary maths skills. Designed for 5 to 11 year olds to use in the home, Komodo uses a little and often approach to learning maths (15 minutes, 3 to 5 times per week) that fits into the busy routine. Komodo helps users develop fluency and confidence in maths – without keeping them at the screen for long.
Find out more about Komodo and how it helps thousands of children each year do better at maths – you can even try Komodo for free.
And now we've got Komodo English too - check it out here.
