Komodo Dragons take a Bite out of Evolution

 

Komodo dragons live in Indonesia on the islands of Komodo and Flores, as well as a few other nearby islands.These reptiles are the heaviest living lizards in the world. They can reach 10 feet in length and weigh over 250 pounds. They have thick skin, powerful legs, lashing tails, tough toes, and sharp claws. Such physical characteristics allow komodos to kill animals that are several times their size, including water buffaloes.

Komodo dragons do not breathe fire, but they do have an eerie forked tongue and a vicious bite. Komodos have very sharp teeth—a total of 60—that they use to tear their prey apart. They can swallow large pieces of flesh at a time. In only a few minutes a 100-pound Komodo can eat 80 pounds of meat.

Unlike humans, Komodos do not mind leftover pieces of food in their teeth. In fact, these leftover food particles promote the growth of deadly bacteria in the Komodo's mouth. Why would any Komodo want deadly bacteria living in its mouth? When a Komodo bites its prey, often times just once, those bacteria cause an infection in the prey, making the bite deadly. The bacteria begin to sicken and weaken the prey, eventually killing it in a few days. Amazingly, the bacteria do not harm the Komodo.

Evolution cannot logically explain the existence of this amazing animal. Why do the bacteria harm the Komodo's prey, but not the Komodo itself? How could the Komodo have evolved the ability to carry deadly bacteria in its mouth without first killing itself? If evolution is true, why did the first Komodo not die from these deadly bacteria before producing offspring? The bacteria-filled bite of the Komodo is a puzzle for those who think these animals evolved from earlier reptiles, which could not have survived with such bacteria growing in their mouths. Creationists, however, realize that Komodos came from the Creator on day six of Creation (Genesis 1:24-25).

 

 

^{God designed Komodo dragons with the ability to use their tongue to capture scent molecules in the air. Remarkably, these animals can smell the flesh of a wounded or dead animal 2½ miles away.}

---

Copyright © 2014 Apologetics Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

*Please keep in mind that Discovery articles are written for 3rd-6th graders.

This document may be copied, on the condition that it will not be republished in print unless otherwise stated below, and will not be used for any commercial purpose, as long as the following stipulations are observed: (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the original publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site URL must be noted; (3) any references, footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must be included with any written reproduction of the article; (4) textual alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden; (5) Some illustrations (e.g., photographs, charts, graphics, etc.) are not the intellectual property of Apologetics Press and as such cannot be reproduced from our site without consent from the person or organization that maintains those intellectual rights; (6) serialization of written material (e.g., running an article in several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of the material is made available, without editing, in a reasonable length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may not be offered for sale or included in items offered for sale; and (8) articles may be reproduced in electronic form for posting on Web sites pending they are not edited or altered from their original written content and that credit is given to Apologetics Press, including the web location from which the articles were taken. Further, documents may not be copied without source statements (title, author, journal title), and the address of the publisher and owner of rights, as listed below.

For catalog, samples, or further information, contact:

Apologetics Press
230 Landmark Drive
Montgomery, Alabama 36117
U.S.A.
Phone (334) 272-8558

http://www.apologeticspress.org