Calgary Zoo Komodo dragon dies at age 30
CBC News | Posted: July 26, 2016 8:53 PM | Last Updated: July 26, 2016
Loka was the world’s oldest Komodo dragon in captivity, according to zoo officials
A 30-year-old Komodo dragon named Loka died on Monday at the Calgary Zoo.
"She will be missed by all who cared for her," posted the zoo on its Facebook page.
Loka was believed to be the oldest of her kind in captivity.
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The zoo said she arrived in Calgary in 2014 from the Toronto Zoo and, as a geriatric animal, was placed under veterinary care.
Officials said the lizard's appetite dropped in the last 10 days before her death.
The zoo says up to 5,000 Komodo dragons are believed to be still be living in the wild.
Here are some other facts about Komodo dragons from the Calgary Zoo:
- They are the largest lizard in the world.
- Average length: 2.4 to 2.7 metres.
- Average weight: 50 to 90 kilograms.
- Conservation status: Endangered.
- They live in hilly and rugged volcanic areas that are hot and dry, such as the Indonesian island of Komodo, or in both tropical dry and deciduous monsoon forests in southeastern areas of the country.
- Scientific name: Varanus komodoensis.
- Komodos eat large chunks of food because of "loosely-articulated jaws" and powerful neck muscles, and can consume up to 80 per cent of their own body weight.