A Handful of Dragons

I love Komodo dragons, but their recent addition to London zoo was a little anticlimatic. Mainly because the path leading up to the exhibit is all pomp and fanfare with kid-targeted facts about how dangerous and awesome they are, and when you finally get to the enclosure they're usually asleep, often behind a bush.

I also note that aside from the traditional method shown in the video, Komodo dragons can also have virgin births, just like the hammerhead shark of a few weeks back.

Hi,

You say you are an evolutionary biologist. Lots of questions on this.
I've read a few books. Here are the ones as I lay person, i found interesting. Is the science in these books solid?

1) Survival of the Sickest
2) Evolution the remarkable history of a scientific theory

The lobster article was interesting.

I love Komodo dragons, but their recent addition to London zoo was a little anticlimatic. Mainly because the path leading up to the exhibit is all pomp and fanfare with kid-targeted facts about how dangerous and awesome they are, and when you finally get to the enclosure they're usually asleep, often behind a bush...Posted by: Ed Yong

But they are awesome.
They don't even have to bite you hard, just a scratch from their teeth and then all the virulent bacteria in their saliva (I assume the captive ones still have all these bacteria) will kill you in a day or so.
Hiding behind bushes and catching people unawares seems a smart hunting method, but if you want to race one don't expect to win over short distances.