[ HISSING ]
Narrator: ROM WHITAKER IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP
REPTILE EXPERTS.
HE HAS TRAVELED THE GLOBE
STUDYING SNAKES, LIZARDS, AND CROCODILES
FOR OVER 50 YEARS.
AND AFTER ALL THIS TIME,
THERE IS STILL ONE CREATURE THAT FASCINATES HIM
BEYOND ALL OTHERS.
HE MAY NEVER HAVE SEEN ONE IN THE FLESH,
BUT IT'S THERE IN EVERY REPTILE HE STUDIES.
FOR ROM, IT'S THE KING OF THE REPTILES,
THE ANIMAL THAT SYMBOLIZES
NATURE'S MOST AMAZING ADAPTATIONS
AND MAGICAL ABILITIES.
IT'S THE DRAGON,
AND I'M ON A QUEST TO TRACK ONE DOWN.
YOU KNOW, THIS LITTLE GODZILLA,
I MADE WHEN I WAS FOUR YEARS OLD.
MY MOTHER SAVED IT ALL THESE YEARS --
IN FACT, IT'S AN ANTIQUE NOW.
YOU CAN SEE WHAT A STRANGE LITTLE MIND I HAD IN THOSE DAYS,
AND I HAVEN'T REALLY CHANGED MUCH,
THE PASSION IS STILL THERE.
Narrator: THIS PASSION HAS LED ROM WHITAKER
TO A LIFE'S WORK S CONSERVING
AND BREEDING REPTILES -- IN THE WILD,
AND AT ROM'S SNAKE PARK AND CROCODILE BANK IN INDIA.
AS A HERPETOLOGIST,
THE FANTASTIC DRAGONS OF HIS CHILDHOOD DREAMS
HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY REAL CREATURES.
BUT THE MORE HE HAS LEARNED ABOUT REPTILES,
THE MORE ROM IS CONVINCED THAT REALITY
IS ALWAYS STRANGER THAN FICTION.
Whitaker: YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS
ALL MY LIFE -- WELL, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THIS,
PLAYING AROUND WITH SNAKES, PLAYING AROUND WITH LIZARDS,
PLAYING AROUND WITH
CEROCODILES LIKE THIS.
BUT DRAGONS -- WELL, EVERYONE KNOWS ABOUT DRAGONS.
THEY CAN FLY,
THEY SPIT FIRE,
THEY LIVE FOREVER,
THEY GUARD GOLD IN CAVES,
TREASURES,
THEY EAT PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY MAIDENS,
AND THEY ARE OCCASIONALLY "SLAYED" BY ONE HERO
OR THE OTHER,
AND YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BELIEVE IN ALL THEIR ATTRIBUTES,
SUPPOSED ATTRIBUTES,
BUT I THINK I CAN FIND ALL THEIR QUALITIES FOR REAL
IN MY WORLD.
MY WORLD OF REPTILES.
Abraham: HEREFORD CATHEDRAL,
DEEP IN THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE,
MAY SEEM LIKE A STRANGE PLACE FOR ROM TO START HIS JOURNEY,
BUT HEREFORD HAS AN ANCIENT MAP
THAT'S A DRAGON HUNTER'S DREAM.
THIS IS MAPPA MUNDI, AN INCREDIBLE MEDIEVAL MAP,
PAINTED ON AN ANIMAL SKIN.
YOU KNOW, FOR BEING SO OLD, IT'S STILL...
A LOT OF FEATURES ARE VERY FAMILIAR.
THERE'S THE NILE RIVER HERE,
THE GANGES RIVER UP THERE,
JERUSALEM RIGHT IN THE CENTER HERE.
THE UNITED KINGDOM IS WAY DOWN HERE.
THE RED SEA AND CEYLON ARE UP IN THAT CORNER THERE.
SO IT'S A PRETTY FAR OUT MAP.
BUT TO ME,
THE MOST EVOCATIVE PART OF IT
ARE THE CREATURES, THE ANIMALS.
THERE'S A GRIFFIN, THERE'S A MINOTAUR,
THERE'S A WINGED SERPENT,
AND, OF COURSE, THERE ARE VERY, VERY DRAGON-LIKE CREATURES.
Abraham: AS A SCIENTIST, ROM KNOWS FAR MORE
ABOUT REAL REPTILES
THAN THE MAPMAKERS OF YORE
AND THEIR SUPERSTITIOUS CHRONICLES,
BUT HE STILL BELIEVES THERE ARE DRAGONS AT LARGE
IN THE NATURAL WORLD.
THE OPENING CHAPTER OF HIS QUEST
IS THE CHRONICLE OF THE MAN-EATING DRAGON.
PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS DRAGON STORY OF ALL
IS AN ARCHETYPAL MYTH THAT IS SET IN AFRICA.
ONCE UPON A TIME,
A DRAGON SETTLED IN BY A LAKE
AND TERRORIZED ALL WHO LIVED NEARBY.
ONLY LIVE HUMAN OFFERINGS APPEASED IT.
EVENTUALLY IT WAS THE TURN OF THE KING'S DAUGHTER.
BUT BEFORE SHE WAS DEVOURED, A HERO ARRIVED,
DID BATTLE WITH THE BEAST,
AND SLEW IT WITH HIS LANCE.
LIKE ALL ARCHETYPAL MYTHS,
SOME ELEMENT STILL RINGS TRUE TO MODERN EARS,
PARTICULARLY TO A HERPETOLOGIST.
SAINT GEORGE, THE TURKISH-BORN HERO,
WAS BASED ON A REAL HISTORICAL FIGURE.
AND AS FOR HIS DRAGON,
THERE'S ONE OBVIOUS CONTENDER --
THE NILE CROCODILE.
THIS IS GREAT.
IT RAINED LAST NIGHT,
AND THE WATER'S POURING DOWN HERE,
AND OBVIOUSLY THE CONCENTRATION OF BIRDS AND CROCS
IS BECAUSE ALL THE FISH HAVE BEEN WASHED DOWN.
BUT THE CROCS ARE OUT BASKING AS WELL,
SO THERE'S SOME FEEDING, SOME BASKING.
THEY'RE ALL AROUND ME.
THERE IS ONE BASKING WITH HIS MOUTH OPEN OVER THERE.
CLASSIC.
SOME REALLY BIG ONES.
Abraham: THE BIGGEST NILE CROCS ARE GIANTS.
THEY CAN GROW TO 20 FEET AND WEIGH A TON.
AND THEY'RE FAST --
SWIMMING AND EVEN RUNNING
AT SPEEDS OF UP TO 10 MILES AN HOUR.
WITH MORE THAN 60 TEETH, THEY CAN DEVOUR
HALF THEIR BODY WEIGHT IN A SINGLE FEEDING.
BUT WHAT MAKES THIS CREATURE TRULY DRAGON-LIKE...
IS THAT EACH YEAR, THESE CROCS ARE REPORTED TO KILL
MORE THAN 100 PEOPLE.
THEY ARE WORTHY ADVERSARIES, INDEED.
BUT ROM IS NOT OUT TO SLAY DRAGONS,
JUST TO TRACK THEM...
BACK TO THEIR VERY BEGINNINGS.
THE SECOND CHAPTER OF ROM'S QUEST
IS TAKING HIM DEEP INTO THE HEART OF OLD EUROPE,
AND THE CHRONICLE OF THE DRAGON'S LAIR.
[ BELL RINGING ]
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA --
A LAND OF LOFTY MOUNTAINS,
DENSE FORESTS,
AND DARK FAIRY TALES.
DRAGONS ARE DEEPLY INGRAINED HERE.
IN FACT, IT'S THE SYMBOL OF LJUBLJANA.
THEY'RE EVERYWHERE!
Abraham: ALTHOUGH SLOVENIA'S CAPITAL MAY BE
CRAWLING WITH DRAGONS, AS EVERYONE KNOWS,
A DRAGON'S LAIR ITSELF
NEEDS TO BE DEEP WITHIN THE BOWELS OF THE EARTH.
FORTUNATELY, THIS COUNTRY HAS SOME OF THE WORLD'S FINEST
DRAGON REAL ESTATE,
HERE IN THE POSTOJNA CAVE SYSTEM.
THESE CAVES ARE NOT ONLY NATURAL GOTHIC CATHEDRALS,
THEY ARE KNOWN AS THE BIRTHPLACE
OF SPELEOBIOLOGY --
THE SCIENCE OF CAVE LIFE.
THERE'S A MENAGERIE OF MOST PECULIAR ANIMALS
LIVING IN THE INKY BLACKNESS.
AND PERHAPS THE MOST BIZARRE
IS WHAT LOCALS IN THE PAST BELIEVED WAS A BABY DRAGON.
LIKE A MEDIEVAL KNIGHT,
ROM PREPARES TO ENTER THE DRAGON'S REALM.
THIS IS THE MODERN VERSION OF DRAGON HUNTER'S ARMOR,
TO PROTECT ME FROM THE COLD.
Abraham: EVEN THROUGH FULL ARMOR,
THE CHILL OF A SLOVENIAN CAVE POOL
IS QUICK TO NUMB THE SENSES.
BUT SOON, OUT OF THE GLOOM,
STRANGE VISIONS
BEGIN TO TAKE SHAPE.
ROM HAS SPENT A LIFETIME SCOURING THE PLANET
FOR THE WEIRD AND THE WONDERFUL,
BUT THIS IS SOMETHING EVEN HE
HAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.
NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY OF THESE CREATURES EXIST,
BUT THEY ARE ONLY FOUND IN CAVES IN THIS SMALL CORNER OF EUROPE.
THE "BABY DRAGON" IN THIS WATERY LAIR
IS IN FACT A BLIND SALAMANDER
KNOWN AS THE PROTEUS,
OR THE OLM.
OKAY, THIS IS IT.
THIS IS THE OLM.
LOOK AT THIS CREATURE.
Abraham: THE OLM LOOKS LIKE
ALMOST NOTHING ELSE ON THE PLANET.
LIVING IN PERPETUAL DARKNESS,
IT HAS LOST ITS EYES AND ITS PIGMENT.
AS IT MATURES, IT RETAINS
ITS JUVENILE FORM INTO ADULTHOOD --
LIKE AN ENCHANTED FROG, TRAPPED INSIDE A TADPOLE'S BODY.
IT'S GOT LEGS,
BUT AMAZINGLY ENOUGH,
ONLY TWO TOES ON THE HIND FEET,
THREE TOES ON THE FRONT FEET.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE CREATURE
AND ITS NATURAL HISTORY, WHAT'S KNOWN ABOUT IT NOW,
IT'S JUST AS FAR OUT AS THE IDEA OF IT BEING A BABY DRAGON.
THIS IS A CREATURE THAT CAN LIVE FOR 60 YEARS,
MAYBE EVEN 100 YEARS.
IT'S A CREATURE THAT CAN GO WITHOUT FOOD FOR 6 TO 10 YEARS,
AND WITH A VERY, VERY LOW METABOLIC RATE.
Abraham: AND TO THE IMAGINATIVE MEDIEVAL MIND,
THIS BABY DRAGON
COULD EVEN HAVE WINGS --
OR AT LEAST EXTERNAL GILLS, BRIGHT RED
WITH OXYGEN-RICH BLOOD.
Whitaker: AS FAR AS THE TREE OF LIFE IS CONCERNED,
THIS CREATURE IS VERY, VERY MUCH OUT ON THE EDGE.
HE'S OUT -- WAY OUT ON A LIMB.
Abraham: THE OLM MIGHT NOT BE
THE BIGGEST CREATURE IN THE WORLD,
AND IT'S NOT EVEN A REPTILE,
BUT "DRAGON" IS A STATE OF MIND.
AND ITS LONG FASTS PUT ROM IN MIND OF DRAGONS
WAKING FROM EONS OF SLUMBER,
FAMISHED AND DANGEROUS.
BUT HOWEVER DANGEROUS A HUNGRY DRAGON MIGHT BE,
IT'S NOTHING COMPARED TO THE WRATH OF A DRAGON
WHOSE LAIR HAS BEEN PLUNDERED...
ROM'S QUEST HEADS EAST TO INDIA,
AND THE CHRONICLE OF THE DRAGON'S HOARD.
AS READERS OF "THE HOBBIT" KNOW,
BILBO BAGGINS' DRAGON, SMAUG,
DOESN'T JUST LIVE IN A CAVE --
HE GUARDS THE CAVE'S VAST HOARD OF TREASURE.
ROM GREW UP WITH OLD INDIAN TALES
ABOUT THE LENGTHS TO WHICH
WEALTHY MAHARAJAHS WOULD GO TO PROTECT THEIR RICHES.
WITH THIEVES AND VILLAINS EVERYWHERE,
THE PRINCES TURNED TO DEADLY KINGS FOR HELP.
WITH UNBLINKING EYES,
THE KING COBRA IS AS VIGILANT AS ANY DRAGON,
CAPABLE OF KILLING A MAN WITH A SINGLE BITE.
BUT FOR ROM, THIS TREASURE
IS TOO MUCH TO RESIST.
FORGET THE GOLD, HE'S AFTER THE COBRA.
THIS IS "INDIA" JONES, NOT "INDIANA."
YET IT'S EASY TO SEE HOW THIS MIGHTY SERPENT
COULD STRIKE FEAR INTO A LESSER HEART.
Whitaker: PEOPLE ARE UNDERSTANDABLY
VERY, VERY FRIGHTENED OF VENOMOUS SNAKES.
AND, YOU KNOW, GETTING BITTEN BY A SNAKE,
AND THEN SEEING SOMEONE DYING,
IT'S LIKE A BOLT FROM THE BLUE.
AND JUST CONSIDER THE FACT THAT A KING COBRA
CAN GROW TO 18 FEET LONG,
PRODUCING 7 MILLILITERS OF VENOM --
ENOUGH VENOM TO KILL AN ELEPHANT
OR A COUPLE OF DOZEN PUNY HUMAN BEINGS.
ROM HAS BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH
TO SURVIVE SEVERAL VENOMOUS SNAKEBITES.
BUT IN THE PROCESS,
HE'S DEVELOPED AN ALLERGY TO MODERN ANTIVENOM.
A BITE FROM THIS SNAKE
WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE FATAL.
VENOM IS JUST A STEP AWAY FROM FIRE --
AND LEADS ROM INTO THE NEXT CHAPTER OF HIS QUEST,
THE CHRONICLE OF THE FIRE-BREATHING DRAGON.
IF YOU'RE UNFORTUNATE ENOUGH TO BE ON THE RECEIVING END
OF ITS STRIKE, THIS INDONESIAN SPITTING COBRA
DOES INDEED SPEW FIRE.
IT MAY BE SMALLER THAN ITS INDIAN COUSIN,
BUT IT MAKES UP FOR IT WITH SOME SERIOUS ATTITUDE.
NOT CONTENT TO DELIVER
ITS LETHAL VENOM IN A BITE,
IT'S DEVELOPED A TECHNIQUE FOR SPRAYING IT
DIRECTLY INTO THE EYES OF ANY POTENTIAL ADVERSARY.
MAN, THIS IS THE ULTIMATE DEFENSE.
IF I WAS A MONGOOSE, I'D BE RUNNING
IN THE OTHER DIRECTION REALLY FAST.
THE SNAKE DOESN'T HAVE TO GET ANY CLOSER THAN THIS
TO THE MONGOOSE.
HE SPRAYS IT IN THE EYES,
AND IT HURTS LIKE HECK.
I MEAN, IT'S LIKE GETTING SOAP IN YOUR EYES TIMES TEN.
SO THE MONGOOSE RACES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION
TO CLEAN HIS EYES OUT.
THE WAY A SPITTING COBRA CAN DO THIS
IS BY HAVING A VENOM
WHICH IS VERY FLUID --
IT'S NOT AS VISCOUS AS THE VENOM OF AN ORDINARY COBRA,
SO THAT IT FLOWS THROUGH THE AIR,
LIKE A SPRAY GUN,
AND THIS PROBABLY MEANS THAT THE VENOM OF A SPITTING COBRA
ISN'T AS TOXIC AS THE VERY VISCOUS, CONCENTRATED VENOM
OF ANOTHER COBRA.
BUT I'M NOT GONNA TRY IT OUT, OF COURSE.
IT'S FOUND ALL THE WAY, WELL,
OVER MUCH OF ASIA,
AND SEVERAL SPECIES ARE FOUND IN AFRICA.
IT'S A PRETTY COMMON SNAKE.
IN ROM'S LIFELONG LOVE AFFAIR WITH SNAKES,
IT'S NOT JUST COBRAS
THAT RESONATE WITH DRAGON-LIKE QUALITIES.
UNLIKE THE WINGED LIZARDS OF THE WEST,
EASTERN DRAGONS ARE OFTEN DEPICTED AS ENORMOUS SERPENTS.
THIS IS THE RETICULATED PYTHON,
THE LONGEST SNAKE ON EARTH.
IF I WAS A DEER OR A WILD BOAR,
I'D BE IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AT THIS POINT.
THIS IS ONE BIG, BIG SNAKE.
Abraham: THE ROMAN NATURALIST, PLINY,
DESCRIBES AN INDIAN DRAGON AS SO ENORMOUS
THAT IT COULD ENVELOPE AN ELEPHANT IN ITS COILS.
ACCOUNTING FOR A LITTLE EMBELLISHMENT,
HE MAY WELL HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS PYTHON.
THIS IS A PYTHON WHICH GROWS TO CLOSE TO 30 FEET LONG,
AND OUR FEMALE HERE IS CLOSE TO 20 FEET LONG.
THEY HAVE A FEARSOME REPUTATION.
IN FACT, RETICULATED PYTHONS
HAVE ACTUALLY SWALLOWED HUMAN BEINGS.
AND THIS ONE COULD CERTAINLY TAKE ME DOWN,
MAYBE NOT SWALLOW ME,
BUT CERTAINLY COULD SUFFOCATE ME TO DEATH IF SHE WANTED TO.
SHE IS STRONG,
AND ALSO ONE OF THE MOST GORGEOUS SNAKES
IN THE WORLD -- LOOK AT THAT.
I MEAN, SHE IS TOTALLY BEAUTIFUL.
Abraham: REAL AND IMAGINARY SERPENTS AND DRAGONS
MAY DANCE DEEP WITHIN THE HUMAN PSYCHE.
THE ALMOST UNIVERSAL FEAR OF SNAKES
MAY HAVE A HEREDITARY COMPONENT.
AN AVERSION TO SNAKES
WOULD HAVE HELPED OUR EARLY ANCESTORS STAY ALIVE...
[ SQUAWKING ]
AND OUR MODERN MONKEY COUSINS
ALSO DISPLAY A FEAR OF SNAKES
THAT MAY BE HARD-WIRED.
ROM THINKS AN ATTRACTION TO FEAR
MAY PARTLY EXPLAIN HIS PASSION FOR SNAKES.
Whitaker: WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER,
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT I REALLY RECALL
VERY, VERY STRONGLY IS GOING TO
THE NEW YORK NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
AND SEEING THOSE GIANT DINOSAUR SKELETONS.
AND MY FERTILE IMAGINATION WENT,
OH, SOARING INTO SPACE.
AND IT WAS KIND OF LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT IN A STRANGE WAY.
AND I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ALL THE OTHER KIDS IN THE WORLD,
BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE IS THIS UNIVERSAL FASCINATION,
MAYBE FEAR, BUT CERTAINLY A FASCINATION,
FOR SOMETHING DRAGON-LIKE, SOME GIANT REPTILE --
BE IT A SNAKE, OR BE IT A HUGE LIZARD.
THERE'S ONE THING YOU CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN,
THERE IS NO NEUTRAL ATTITUDE TOWARD REPTILES.
ANYWHERE YOU GO IN THE WORLD,
PEOPLE ARE EITHER FASCINATED BY THEM,
OR ABSOLUTELY SCARED OUT OF THEIR WITS OF REPTILES.
THAT INCLUDES SNAKES,
AND TO SOME DEGREE LIZARDS, TOO,
BECAUSE IN THE PSYCHE, IN THE MIND,
THE LIZARD COULD BE THAT DRAGON,
COULD BE THAT DRAGON IN YOUR DREAMS.
Abraham: THERE'S MORE TO DRAGONS THAN HOARDING GOLD,
DEVOURING MAIDENS, AND FIGHTING WITH FIRE.
THE SERPENTS AND DRAGONS OF THE EAST
ARE KNOWN FOR THEIR WISDOM.
EVEN THE DRAGON, SMAUG, WAS FOND OF A RIDDLE.
ROM BELIEVES HE CAN FIND A CREATURE OF FLESH AND BLOOD
TO MATCH THE LEGENDARY CUNNING OF THESE MYTHICAL BEASTS.
HIS QUEST TAKES HIM TO SRI LANKA,
FOR THE CHRONICLE OF THE WISE DRAGON.
INTELLIGENCE AND ADAPTABILITY ARE TWO KEYS TO SUCCESS --
ESPECIALLY WHERE TERRITORY HAS BEEN SHARED
FOR CENTURIES WITH MULTITUDES OF PEOPLE.
HERE IN THE SUBURBS OF SRI LANKA,
WATER MONITORS HAVE NOT ONLY SURVIVED IN SOCIETY,
THEY'VE BECOME AN ESSENTIAL CLEAN-UP CREW.
BY NIGHT, THEY STILL SEEK THE SAFETY
OF UNDISTURBED MANGROVE SWAMPS.
BUT AS THEY WAKE WITH THE HEAT OF THE MORNING,
THEY MAKE THE SHORT COMMUTE ACROSS THE RIVER
TO EARN THEIR KEEP AT THE FISH DOCKS.
WHERE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
HAS DIMINISHED THEIR USUAL PREY
OF OF SMALL FISH AND MAMMALS,
THE MONITOR HAS BEEN QUICK TO LEARN THAT HUMAN PRESENCE
ISN'T ALL BAD NEWS.
EACH MORNING, INSTEAD OF HEADING OUT TO HUNT,
THEY WAIT IN LINE FOR THEIR DAILY HANDOUT.
Whitaker: WE'VE GOT TEN
LARGE ADULT WATER MONITOR LIZARDS HERE.
THEY PROBABLY WEIGH ON THE AVERAGE
ABOUT 50 POUNDS EACH,
SO YOU GOT ABOUT A QUARTER OF A TON
OF WATER MONITOR LIZARDS
A COUPLE OF YARDS AWAY FROM
THE MAIN HIGHWAY ON
THE WEST COAST OF SRI LANKA HERE.
I DON'T PARTICULARLY AGREE WITH THE IDEA OF POLLUTING THE RIVER,
BUT THESE ARE THE SCAVENGERS WHO CLEAN IT UP.
YOU KNOW, SRI LANKA IS KIND OF WEIRD
IN THE SENSE THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY VULTURES HERE,
NO VULTURES AT ALL.
SO THESE GUYS PLAY A ROLE -- IN THE RIVER, ANYWAY --
OF CLEANING THE PLACE UP.
Abraham: ADAPTIVE SCAVENGING BEHAVIOR LIKE THIS
IS MORE OFTEN SEEN IN MAMMALS THAN IN REPTILES.
BUT FOR ROM,
THIS LIZARD IS SO SMART,
IT ALMOST TRANSCENDS ITS COLD-BLOODED HERITAGE.
WHENEVER I'VE WATCHED WATER MONITOR LIZARDS,
TO ME, OF ALL THE REPTILES,
THESE ARE SORT OF THE MOST MAMMALIAN.
YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF REPTILES THAT WE CAN REALLY IDENTIFY WITH
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THAT CURIOSITY.
THERE'S ONE LICKING MY LEG RIGHT NOW.
THEY HAVE THAT OPPORTUNISM,
THEY'RE KIND OF LIKE A REPTILE MONGOOSE,
IF YOU PUT IT THAT WAY,
AND NO OTHER REPTILE
SEEMS TO HAVE THE KIND OF INTELLIGENCE OR AWARENESS
OR ALERTNESS THAT THESE REPTILES HAVE.
THIS IS VERY UNLIKE MOST REPTILES,
WHO ARE MUCH SLOWER, LAID BACK,
AND SORT OF GLAZY-EYED, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
Abraham: MONITOR LIZARDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED
TO COOPERATE WITH EACH OTHER IN FORAGING,
BY LURING CROCODILES
AWAY FROM THEIR NESTS SO THEY CAN STEAL THEIR EGGS.
AND FEEDING STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT ONE SPECIES
IS EVEN ABLE TO DISTINGUISH NUMBERS UP TO SIX --
IN EFFECT, IT CAN COUNT.
BUT SMARTS ALONE DON'T MAKE A DRAGON.
YOU NEED A BIT OF FEROCITY, TOO.
WITH A LITTLE IMAGINATION AND SOME OIL PAINT,
RIGHT HERE IN SRI LANKA
THERE IS ALL THE HORROR OF A MEDIEVAL DRAGON.
THE WATER MONITOR IS STILL A PREDATOR AT HEART.
WHERE DRAGONS OF YORE MAY HAVE DEMANDED FLESHY SACRIFICES,
TODAY'S CLEVER MONITOR IS MORE PRACTICAL IN ITS EXPECTATIONS.
[ CROWING ]
AND HERE IN SRI LANKA,
INSTEAD OF A FOX IN YOUR HEN HOUSE,
BEWARE THE GIANT LIZARD.
I'M LITERALLY NOSE TO NOSE
WITH A SEVEN-AND-A-HALF-FOOT WATER MONITOR LIZARD.
I KNEW ABOUT THIS GUY
BECAUSE HE'S A REGULAR VISITOR TO THIS YARD.
THEY KEEP CHICKENS HERE, AND HE KEEPS VISITING
IN THE HOPES OF GETTING ONE.
IN FACT, HE OCCASIONALLY DOES GET ONE.
HE'S A WELL-KNOWN CITIZEN IN THIS AREA.
Abraham: WHEN WATER MONITORS
APPROACH THEIR FULL SIZE, THEY SEEM TO THROW OFF
ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR REPTILIAN CONSTRAINTS.
A BIG LIZARD LIKE THIS
DOESN'T HAVE TO BASK IN THE SUN IN THE MORNING TO BE WARM.
WHATEVER HEAT HE GAINED THE DAY BEFORE,
HE'S READY TO GO EARLY IN THE MORNING.
A SMALL LIZARD HAS TO BASK FIRST
BEFORE IT CAN REV UP AND GET GOING.
Abraham: FREE FROM THE REPTILIAN NEED
FOR CONSTANT THERMOREGULATION,
THE WATER MONITOR BECOMES A MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE PREDATOR,
AND A MORE DANGEROUS SUBJECT FOR A CLOSE-UP.
I'M KIND OF WORRIED ABOUT THAT TAIL, THOUGH.
IF HE BENDS IT BACK THE OTHER WAY, I'M GONE.
[ LAUGHING ]
A SLAP IN THE FACE WOULDN'T BE GOOD.
Abraham: WHETHER HUNTING OR FORAGING,
THE WATER MONITOR'S KEEN INTELLIGENCE
IS MATCHED BY AN EQUALLY SHARP SENSE OF SMELL.
Whitaker: EVERYTHING A WATER MONITOR DOES
SEEMS TO BE GUIDED BY SMELL.
WHETHER IT'S FINDING FOOD OR FINDING A MATE,
THAT FORKED TONGUE WORKS THE SAME WAY
A SNAKE'S FORKED TONGUE DOES.
THEY HAVE SOMETHING CALLED JACOBSON'S ORGANS
IN THE ROOF OF THEIR MOUTH,
AND THEY PICK UP PARTICLES OF SCENT FROM THE AIR
AND FROM WHATEVER THEY'RE LOOKING AT AND SMELLING,
AND IT DELIVERS IT RIGHT TO THE ROOF OF THE MOUTH.
THAT'S WHAT HE'S DOING NOW.
HE'S SMELLING WHAT I'VE GOT, BUT HE'S A LITTLE WARY OF ME,
HE'S NOT QUITE SURE ABOUT MY INTENTIONS HERE.
Abraham: WHEN DEALING WITH AN ADVERSARY
TOO BIG FOR ITS TEETH,
THE WATER MONITOR EMPLOYS
ITS NEXT MOST EFFECTIVE WEAPON.
AND THAT'S HIS MAIN DEFENSE.
IF HE WANTS TO...
HE CAN GIVE ME A GOOD WHACK WITH HIS TAIL.
SMARTS.
BETTER KEEP BACK FROM HIM.
HEY!
THIS WHOLE TAIL LASHING IS JUST SIMPLY HIS WAY
OF TRYING TO SEE ME OFF.
I MEAN, THAT'S HIS --
A REAL, REAL GOOD, VERY, VERY EFFECTIVE
DEFENSIVE WHIP, AND IT HURTS, IT REALLY SMARTS.
I DON'T KNOW WHY HE'S BEING SO NASTY TO ME --
HERE I AM FEEDING HIM, I MEAN, COME ON, GUY.
Abraham: EVERY DRAGON HUNTER BEARS HIS SCARS...
WHOA!
AND HERE IN SRI LANKA,
ROM'S PICKED UP ANOTHER TO ADD TO HIS LIST.
DRAGONS ARE COMPLEX BEASTS --
PART MYTH, PART SCIENCE,
PART DINOSAUR FANTASY.
BUT WHATEVER THE INSPIRATION,
ONE THING ALL DRAGONS MUST DO
IS FLY.
ROM IS GOING TO PROVE THAT ANYTHING FICTION CAN DO,
FACT CAN, TOO.
THIS IS THE CHRONICLE OF THE FLYING DRAGON.
Whitaker: PROBABLY THE MOST FAMOUS FLYING REPTILE
THAT EVER EXISTED WAS THE PTERODACTYL,
YOU KNOW, BACK IN THE DINOSAUR DAYS,
A MASSIVE, LEATHERY-WINGED FLYING CREATURE
THAT SORT OF GAVE US ALL THE CREEPS
WHEN WE WERE LITTLE KIDS.
Abraham: PTERODACTYLS MAY BE EXTINCT, BUT FOR ROM,
THEIR DRAGON-LIKE RELATIVES STILL CAST THEIR SHADOW
UPON THE EARTH.
AND HE'S COME TO THE RAINFORESTS
OF INDIA'S WESTERN GHATS TO CATCH ONE.
IT'S KNOWN TO MODERN SCIENCE AS DRACO DUSSUMIERI.
Whitaker: YOUR WHOLE PERCEPTION OF THE RAINFOREST CHANGES
EVERY LEVEL YOU GO UP.
IT'S IN TIERS.
NOW I'M ABOVE THE, SORT OF THE LOWER STORY,
GETTING UP TOWARD THE CANOPY...
AND THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
SO THIS IS DRAGON COUNTRY -- FLYING DRAGON COUNTRY.
THERE'S A MALE OVER THERE.
LOOK, LOOK, LOOK, DUE LEFT.
IF I TAKE SOME TIME AND LOOK AROUND...
THERE'S ANOTHER, IT'S A FEMALE.
SO THEY ARE ALL AT THIS LEVEL.
50, 60, MAYBE EVEN 70 FEET UP IN THE CANOPY.
ON THE -- OPEN SUNLIGHT IS JUST HITTING THOSE TREES OVER THERE.
JUST THE RIGHT TIME OF DAY
WHEN THEY'RE HEATING UP -- OH, IT'S BRILLIANT,
TO SEE THEM AT EYE LEVEL LIKE THIS.
ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT.
Abraham: THERE ARE OVER 20 DIFFERENT SPECIES OF DRACO
FOUND THROUGHOUT TROPICAL ASIA.
THEY SPEND PRACTICALLY THEIR WHOLE LIVES
HIGH UP IN THE CANOPY.
THERE ARE NO MAIDENS UP HERE --
THEY FEAST ON THE ANTS
THAT SHARE THEIR TREETOP HOME.
WHEN THREATENING RIVALS OR ATTRACTING A MATE,
THE MALES BLOW THEIR COVER
AND EXTEND THE BRIGHT YELLOW FLAP ON THEIR NECK
IN A DISPLAY CALLED "DEWLAPPING."
THE VIEW MAY BE GREAT UP HERE,
BUT ROM'S NATURAL DRAGON HUNTER'S AGILITY
IS SOMEWHAT HAMPERED BY ROPES AND HARNESSES.
TO ACTUALLY CATCH ONE OF THESE DRAGONS,
HE IS GOING TO NEED A NEW WEAPON --
A LANCE...
WITH SLIGHT MODIFICATIONS.
THE GREEK HISTORIAN, HERODOTUS,
DESCRIBES THRONGS OF WINGED SERPENTS
GUARDING TREES IN ARABIA.
SCHOLARS HAVE LONG ARGUED OVER WHAT EXACTLY HE WAS DESCRIBING.
ROM'S GOT HIS OWN THEORY.
THIS PLANTATION IS THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM ARABIA,
BUT IT IS SWARMING WITH DRACO,
AND THE MALE DOES INDEED GUARD THE TREES
OF ITS HOME TERRITORY FROM OTHER ENCROACHING MALES.
BUT WHEN FACED WITH A DRAGON HUNTER'S LANCE,
ITS MAIN FORM OF DEFENSE IS EVASION.
IT MAY ONLY BE NINE INCHES LONG
AND LIVE ON A DIET OF ANTS,
BUT WHEN DRACO HAS NOWHERE LEFT TO RUN,
IT MATCHES ITS MYTHICAL NAMESAKE
AND TAKES TO THE SKY.
THIS SIDE, THIS SIDE, THIS SIDE.
OKAY, LITTLE GUY.
QUICKLY, QUICKLY, GENTLY, GENTLY.
OH...OKAY.
AND ROM'S PERSEVERANCE FINALLY PAYS OFF.
WHAT A BEAUTY!
WHAT AN AMAZING LIZARD.
IT'S A MALE, FOR SURE.
IT'S GOT THIS HUGE YELLOW DEWLAP.
IT'S REALLY FRAGILE -- LOOK AT THIS,
I AM TRYING TO BE AS GENTLE AS I CAN WITH IT,
'CAUSE IT JUST SEEMS LIKE SKIN AND BONES.
AND PROBABLY MOST REMARKABLE OF ALL,
IF YOU GENTLY STRETCH IT OUT,
THEY'VE GOT THESE AMAZING WINGS.
LOOK AT THAT.
THE FIRST TIME I EVER SAW ONE OF THESE,
I THOUGHT A BUTTERFLY WAS FLOATING OVER ME.
LITERALLY.
THEN I SAW IT LAND ON A TREE AND CATCH AN ANT.
THAT'S NO BUTTERFLY.
THIS IS, TO ME,
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE REPTILES ON THE PLANET.
Abraham: AND ROM BELIEVES
DRACO'S AMAZING DRAGON-LIKE ABILITIES
WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN LOST ON EARLIER VISITORS
TO THESE REGIONS.
BACK IN THE DAYS OF YORE, YOU KNOW,
EXPLORERS WOULD GO TO THE DEEPEST, DARKEST PARTS
OF THE EAST INDIES.
THEY'D COME BACK WITH REAL DRAWINGS
OF THINGS LIKE RHINOCEROSES,
AND THESE ARE THE FIRST TIME THE CIVILIZED WORLD
HAD SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.
BUT THEY'D ALSO COME BACK WITH AMAZING, FANCIFUL DRAWINGS
OF LIZARDS LOOKING VERY MUCH LIKE THIS,
ONLY THEY DEPICTED THEM AS
30-FOOT-LONG FLYING DRAGONS.
THEY LOOK VERY, VERY MUCH LIKE WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE.
SO THEY REALLY DID SEE SOME REAL STUFF,
BUT THEN THEIR MINDS WENT A LITTLE BIT WILD
AND SORT OF TOOK IT TO THE EXTREME.
AND MAYBE THAT'S WHY THEY CALLED IT DRACO.
I'M SURE THAT'S WHY THEY CALLED IT DRACO.
Abraham: SO FAR, ROM'S JOURNEY
HAS TAKEN IN MAN-EATING CROCODILES,
CAVE-DWELLING METHUSELAHS,
REPTILES THAT FLY
AND SPITIERY VENOM,
AND FIERCE LIZARDS AS SMART AS MAMMALS.
NOW HE SEEKS A DRAGON
THAT NEEDS NO EMBELLISHMENT OR ARTISTIC LICENSE.
THE FINAL CHRONICLE
IS OF THE REAL DRAGON.
BY THE 19th CENTURY,
THE IDEA OF DRAGONS ROAMING THE EARTH
HAD BEEN DISMISSED AS MEDIEVAL SUPERSTITION AND FANTASY.
BUT ONLY 80 YEARS AGO,
SCIENTIFIC CERTAINTY WAS THROWN INTO DISARRAY
WITH RUMORS OF A REMOTE ISLAND
THAT COULD HAVE COME STRAIGHT FROM THE MAPPA MUNDI.
IT WAS HOME TO A GIANT CREATURE
NEVER SEEN BY THE OUTSIDE WORLD.
IN 1926,
THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
LAUNCHED AN EXPEDITION
TO CAPTURE A BEAST THAT EVEN SCIENCE WOULD CALL A DRAGON.
FOR ROM, HIS FIRST VISIT
TO KOMODO IS THE CLIMAX OF HIS
LIFE'S OBSESSION WITH REPTILES.
IN HIS EXCITEMENT,
HE TOO CAN ALMOST SENSE THE MONSTERS
IN THE LANDSCAPE.
FOR A DRAGON HUNTER ON A CRUSADE,
THIS IS THE HOLY LAND.
I CAN JUST IMAGINE HOW IT MUST HAVE FELT
BEING ON THAT FIRST EXPEDITION
FROM THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY,
COMING TO KOMODO,
ALL THESE CRAZY STORIES ABOUT A GIANT REPTILE
STILL WANDERING AROUND IN THIS KIND OF LANDSCAPE.
I AM ACTUALLY GETTING A FEW SHIVERS THINKING ABOUT IT.
BUT THE IDEA OF FINDING
A BIG DINOSAUR-LIKE CREATURE ALIVE IN THIS DAY AND AGE
AND THEN WHEN THEY GOT HERE,
AND ACTUALLY STARTED WANDERING AROUND,
AND THEN CAME FACE TO FACE
WITH THE FIRST REALLY BIG KOMODO DRAGONS...
AH, THAT IS TRUE EXCITEMENT -- I MEAN, OH, MAN!
WE'RE REALLY LOOKING AT A PRIMEVAL LANDSCAPE HERE.
IF THERE WAS EVER A PLACE THAT DESERVES TO HAVE A DRAGON,
THIS IS DEFINITELY IT.
THE NEXT MORNING,
ROM'S CHANCE TO SEE A LIVING DRAGON
HAS FINALLY ARRIVED.
HIS FIRST FOOTFALL
IS LIKE STEPPING BACK INTO A JURASSIC PAST.
WALKING THROUGH
THIS KING KONG LANDSCAPE,
HE CAN'T HELP THINKING ABOUT THE DRAGON'S
FEARSOME AMBUSH ABILITIES,
AND THE PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN KILLED AND EATEN
ON THESE VERY ISLANDS.
Whitaker: OH, MAN!
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER SEEN A WILD KOMODO DRAGON.
[ CHUCKLES ]
YOU KNOW, WE ARE USED TO
ALL THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF MONITOR LIZARD
I'VE BEEN SEEING ALL OVER THE PLACE,
AND THERE'S NEVER --
THERE'S JUST NOT ANY OF THEM
AS MASSIVE AS THIS CREATURE IS.
HERE'S A REAL LAND PREDATOR, YOU KNOW,
STOMPING AROUND LIKE A DINOSAUR,
LEAVING FOOTPRINTS LIKE A DINOSAUR.
I MEAN, IT'S EVERYTHING I EVER EXPECTED.
Abraham: REAL DRAGONS LIVE WITHIN FIXED TERRITORIES,
AND THE POPULATION WHERE ROM HAS LANDED
SHOW ABSOLUTELY NO FEAR OF HUMANS.
AND FOR ONCE,
AFTER 50 YEARS AROUND LARGE REPTILES,
IT'S ROM'S TURN
TO SHOW SOME FEAR.
WHOA!
WHAT IS IT? I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!
WHOA!
NO, I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING,
I REALLY DIDN'T, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY MEAT.
NO, I DON'T...
NOTHING...
REALLY!
THERE ARE VERY FEW REPTILES WHO WILL --
DO THIS!
THEY SAY THAT REPTILES GET TIRED REAL EASY.
HOW ABOUT HUMANS, MAN?
HE'S TIRING ME OUT.
THIS IS SCARY, YOU KNOW?
THE ONLY TIME I HAVE EVER BEEN CHASED BY A REPTILE
IS A FEMALE CROCODILE AT HER NEST,
NOT A FREE-RANGING BIG, BIG LIZARD LIKE THIS.
AND FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT'S NOT JUST FOR FUN --
IF HE CATCHES ME, IF I TRIP,
I'M MEAT.
Abraham: ROM'S RIGHT TO BE WARY.
AS RECENTLY AS 2007,
AN 8-YEAR-OLD BOY WAS ATTACKED AND KILLED
BY A KOMODO DRAGON, NOT FAR FROM THIS VERY SPOT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST LANDED ON THE BEACH THERE,
I JUST WANDERED AROUND, ALL BY MYSELF, YOU KNOW?
AND...I WOULDN'T DO THAT NOW.
NO, SIRREE.
Abraham: ON THE FEW ISLANDS THEY INHABIT,
THESE DRAGONS ARE THE TOP PREDATOR.
THEY CAN EAT 80% OF THEIR OWN BODY WEIGHT
IN A SINGLE MEAL,
AND ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE
A SOPHISTICATED AND SINISTER TECHNIQUE
FOR KILLING LARGE PREY.
THEIR SALIVA IS OFTEN DESCRIBED
AS A FOUL COCKTAIL OF VIRULENT BACTERIA
THAT WOULD TURN
EVEN THE SMALLEST BITE
INTO A DANGEROUS FESTERING WOUND.
THIS DEER HAS BEEN BITTEN BY A DRAGON.
IT'S SIMPLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE IT SUCCUMBS TO BLOOD POISONING.
AND IT WON'T TAKE LONG
FOR THE KOMODO DRAGON AND ITS FRIENDS
TO TRACK IT DOWN...
AND THEN DO WHAT THEY DO BEST.
MANY SCIENTISTS
HAVE TRIED TO DISCOVER WHICH BACTERIUM
MAKES DRAGON DROOL SO TOXIC --
ANOTHER REPTILIAN FIERY BITE.
ROM WANTS TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF THE STORY, AND TO DO THIS,
HE NEEDS TO CATCH ONE.
[ TRUMPET FANFARE PLAYS ]
THE DRAGON SLAYER OF YORE
WAS THE MOST COURAGEOUS OF KNIGHTS.
AND WE'VE GOT THE MODERN DAY EQUIVALENTS.
KOMODO EXPERT JERI IMANSYAH,
HIS COLLEAGUE, DENI PURWANDANA,
AND SOMETIME DRAGON FANATIC, ROM WHITAKER.
NOW, ENTER THE DRAGON...
IT MAY HAVE BEEN A STRETCH
FROM TINY OLM AND DIMINUTIVE DRACO
TO "DRAGON," BUT HERE ON KOMODO
YOU DON'T NEED YOUR IMAGINATION.
[ MEN SPEAKING IN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE ]
THIS MAY SEEM AN EXTREME FORM OF CAPTURE,
BUT THE KOMODO RESEARCHERS
HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THESE LIZARDS FOR MANY YEARS,
AND THIS PRACTICE IS HARMLESS TO THE DRAGON,
IF NOT TO THE RESEARCHER.
OKAY, GOOD, GOOD, GOOD.
OKAY, GOT IT.
THAT SHOULD BE GOOD, YEAH.
OKAY?
I'VE CAUGHT A LOT OF CROCODILES,
BUT I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW STRONG THESE GUYS CAN BE,
AND HE DOESN'T RUN OUT OF STEAM, MAN.
THE CROC WILL SORT OF, YOU KNOW,
IT'LL GET TIRED, YOU KNOW, IN A FEW MINUTES,
AND THIS GUY, JUST, OH, MAN, HE'S ENDLESSLY,
ENDLESSLY STRONG.
LOOK AT THESE NAILS, HUH?
IT'S LIKE A BIG EAGLE'S CLAWS OR SOMETHING.
Abraham: THE SHARP CLAWS OF OTHER KOMODO ADVERSARIES
HAVE LEFT SCARS ALL OVER THIS ANIMAL'S
ARMOR-PLATED BACK... BUT IT'S NOT JUST THE CLAWS
YOU NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR.
SIXTY TEETH?
SIXTY TEETH.
SHARP TEETH. VERY SHARP TEETH.
SOMEONE SAID THEY'RE VERY MUCH LIKE SHARK TEETH,
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE EDGE, THE KNIFE EDGE.
OKAY, HE'S GETTING CALMER.
Abraham: CALMER HE MAY BE, BUT THIS IS STILL
THE LARGEST LIZARD THAT ROM HAS EVER HANDLED.
MAKE IT STRAIGHT.
EIGHT FEET AND SIX INCHES.
Whitaker: EIGHT FEET, SIX INCHES?
THE BIGGEST WATER MONITOR WE EVER MEASURED
WAS A LITTLE OVER SEVEN FEET,
GETTING CLOSE TO EIGHT.
THIS, AT EIGHT-AND-A-HALF FEET, IS GETTING TO AMONGST
THE LARGEST-SIZED KOMODO DRAGONS YOU CAN FIND.
THIS IS ONE VERY, VERY BIG LIZARD.
Abraham: WHEN IT COMES TO BULK,
THE KOMODO IS IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN.
WATER MONITORS CAN WEIGH UP TO 55 POUNDS.
A 10-FOOT KOMODO
CAN TIP THE SCALES AT OVER 360 POUNDS.
WITH THIS DRAGON TAMED, IT'S TIME FOR ROM'S EXPERIMENT.
SO BASICALLY WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO HERE
IS TO TAKE A SAMPLE OF ITS SALIVA.
OKAY, READY?
YEAH, ALL RIGHT, OH, THAT'S PERFECT.
OKAY.
IT'S GOING TO BE VERY INTERESTING
TO SEE WHAT WE CAN CULTURE WITH THIS.
OKAY, HIS LEGS ARE LOOSE?
OKAY, ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET...
GO!
Abraham: THE SLOW METABOLISM OF COLD-BLOODED REPTILES
MEANS THAT MOST TIRE VERY QUICKLY
AND TAKE A LONG TIME TO RECOVER AFTER EXERTION.
BUT EVEN AFTER BEING SAT ON BY ROM,
THISRAGON IS UP AND RUNNING RIGHT AWAY.
LOOK AT THAT... HE'S TAKING THE TIDBIT.
YOU KNOW THAT RECOVERY TIME IS LIKE, WHAT?
30 SECONDS?
I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT IN MY LIFE.
AbhaELINGS,
OFF HE GOES -- A DRAGON ON THE PROWL.
SALIVA SAMPLES IN HAND, ROM HEADS FOR THE NEAREST LAB.
IT MIGHT NOT BE THE MOST CONVENTIONAL,
BUT AT LEAST IT'S SAFE FROM HUNGRY DRAGONS.
THE NEXT STEP IN HIS BACTERIOLOGICAL STUDY
IS TO OBTAIN A CONTROL SAMPLE OF SALIVA
TO COMPARE WITH THE DRAGON SAMPLES.
NOW I'M BASICALLY TAKING A SWAB OF MY OWN SALIVA,
UM, SIMILAR TO WHAT I JUST DID
WITH THE DRAGONS ON SHORE,
IN ORDER TO SEE IF WE CAN GET
THE KIND OF BACTERIAL GROWTH
FROM BOTH THE HUMAN BEING AND THE DRAGON.
Abraham: THE DRAGON SALIVA,
AND ROM'S OWN, ARE SMEARED INTO DIFFERENT
PETRI DISHES CONTAINING NUTRIENTS
ON WHICH BACTERIA THRIVE.
Whitaker: THIS IS NOT EXACTLY
THE MOST STERILE SITUATION YOU CAN IMAGINE,
BUT WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN HERE.
I SHOULD KNOW WHAT I'M DOING
BECAUSE WAY BACK IN THE VIETNAM WAR DAYS
I WAS TRAINED IN THIS STUFF AS A LAB TECHNICIAN.
MAN, I TOOK HUNDREDS OF SWABS
AND TOOK LOTS OF BLOOD SAMPLES FROM THOUSANDS OF SOLDIERS.
I ACTUALLY NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE DOING IT
WITH KOMODO DRAGONS, THOUGH.
THAT SHOULD DO IT.
THEY GOT TO INCUBATE OVERNIGHT.
IN 24 HOURS, WE SHOULD SEE SOMETHING.
Abraham: ROM'S HOPING THE SAMPLES WILL BLOSSOM
INTO COLORFUL CULTURES THAT WILL PROVE DECISIVELY
WHO'S MORE FOUL-MOUTHED, DRAGON OR DRAGON HUNTER.
TWENTY-FOUR HOURS AFTER INOCULATION,
ROM'S EXPERIMENT HAS COME UP WITH SOME GRAPHIC RESULTS.
ONE SPECIES OF BACTERIA
HE'S TRIED TO CULTURE FROM KOMODO SALIVA
IS PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA,
A STRAIN THAT CAN KILL A HUMAN
WITHIN DAYS OF ENTERING THE BLOOD.
AND THIS PLATE LOOKS DEADLY.
LOOK AT THIS GROWTH.
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.
IT'S NOT THE MARK OF ZORRO.
THIS IS JUST THE STREAK THAT I DID,
AND YOU ARE LOOKING AT
PROBABLY SEVERAL SPECIES OF BACTERIA HERE,
AND ONE OF THEM COULD VERY WELL BE PASTEURELLA.
AND THIS IS COUNTED AS THE MOST VIRULENT
OF ALL THE BACTERIA FOUND IN KOMODO DRAGON SALIVA.
Abraham: BUT THE KOMODO DRAGON ISN'T THE ONLY CREATURE
OUT THERE WITH POTENTIALLY DEADLY DROOL.
Whitaker: LOOKING AT THE MOUTH SWAB
FROM ROM WHITAKER,
ON ANOTHER KIND OF MEDIA,
WE ARE LOOKING AT A GROWTH WHICH COULD VERY LIKELY BE E. COLI.
NOW, E. COLI IS A COMMON BACTERIA,
AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY STRAINS,
SOME OF THEM EXTREMELY VIRULENT,
AND THIS COULD VERY WELL BE ONE OF THOSE.
AND IN FACT,
IT'S ALREADY BEEN MORE OR LESS PROVEN
THAT THERE ARE 80 OR MORE DIFFERENT SPECIES OF BACTERIA
THAT HAVE BEEN ISOLATED FROM THE HUMAN MOUTH,
AND ONLY 57 FROM THE DRAGON'S MOUTH.
THERE'S AN OBVIOUS CONCLUSION HERE.
YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE BITTEN BY A KOMODO DRAGON.
NOR DO YOU WANT TO BE BITTEN BY ROM WHITAKER.
Abraham: ROM'S EXPERIMENT HAS SHOWN
THAT IN THESE TROPICAL CONDITIONS,
ANY SALIVA IS A POTENTIALLY LETHAL COCKTAIL.
BUT THIS DOESN'T MAKE THE KOMODO DRAGON
ANY LESS FORMIDABLE.
I'VE GOT A BRAND-NEW RESPECT FOR THESE DRAGONS.
I DON'T THINK I REALLY UNDERSTOOD OR REALIZED
WHAT I WAS GOING TO MEET.
TO BE THERE, TO EXPERIENCE THEM,
IS SOMETHING OUT OF THIS WORLD.
THEY HAVE DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES,
THAT'S FOR SURE.
THERE ARE SOME FAIRLY CALM ONES,
SOME VERY SERIOUS ONES,
IN FACT, SO SERIOUS
THAT I WAS DEFINITELY ON THE MENU,
THERE'S NO DOUBT OF THAT.
AND IF WE THOUGHT
WE WERE AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN,
WELL, MEETING UP A WITH A DRAGON LIKE THAT,
YOU HAVE TO THINK TWICE.
I THINK, BEING A HUMAN, BEING A MAMMAL,
WE ARE VERY, VERY CONSCIOUS OF THIS VISCERAL FEAR WE HAVE
OF BEING PREY.
A TIGER, A LEOPARD,
ONE OF THE BIG ANIMALS WHICH WOULD GRAB US,
TOSS US AROUND LIKE A RAT, SWALLOW US DOWN...
TAKING IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL,
THERE IS SOMETHING EVEN MORE PRIMEVAL
ABOUT BEING PREYED UPON BY A REPTILE,
AND BE IT A GIANT PYTHON,
OR IN THIS CASE,
A GIANT LIZARD ON KOMODO,
THERE'S SOMETHING THAT MAKES YOU SHIVER
JUST A LITTLE BIT,
EVEN A GUY LIKE ME
WHO'S SUPPOSED TO KNOW REPTILES REALLY WELL.
Abraham: DESPITE THE SCIENTIST WITHIN,
ROM'S QUEST FOR DRAGONS IN THE REAL WORLD
HAS OPENED HIS EYES
TO NEW POSSIBILITIES.
HE'S REALIZED THAT WHATEVER LIES BEHIND HIS COMPULSION
FOR REPTILES MAY BE THE SAME THING THAT'S MADE THE DRAGON
SUCH AN ENDURING SYMBOL ALL AROUND THE WORLD.
AND THE STORY OF THEIR POWERS IS STILL UNFOLDING.
AS ROM INVESTIGATES A NEST OF FRESHLY HATCHED DRAGON EGGS,
HE MARVELS AT WHAT SCIENCE HAS JUST RECENTLY DISCOVERED --
THAT DRAGONS HAVE AN ABILITY
THAT IN HUMANS WOULD BE CONSIDERED MIRACULOUS.
Whitaker: THERE'S A REAL TRULY MAGICAL QUALITY
ABOUT THE KOMODO DRAGON.
AND THAT IS THAT A FEMALE
CAN LAY VIABLE FERTILE EGGS
WITHOUT HAVING MATED WITH A MALE.
AND THIS IS A SPECIAL STRATEGY,
A SPECIAL SURVIVAL STRATEGY FOR THE SPECIES.
KOMODO DRAGONS SWIM FROM ISLAND TO ISLAND.
AND HERE WE ARE IN A MAZE OF ALMOST 18,000 ISLANDS
IN THE INDONESIAN ARCHIPELAGO.
AND LET'S SAY SOMETHING HAPPENED HERE,
LET'S SAY A VOLCANO BLEW UP,
AND, WELL, ONE OF THE FEMALES MANAGED TO
SWIM OFF TO ANOTHER ISLAND.
Abraham: NOW THINGS GET INTERESTING.
ALL ALONE ON A NEW ISLAND, A FEMALE KOMODO
CAN STILL LAY FERTILE EGGS.
NO MATE REQUIRED.
OTHER LIZARD FEMALES CAN DO THIS,
BUT THEY PRODUCE ONLY FEMALE YOUNG.
THE KOMODO IS UNIQUE.
SHE CAN GIVE BIRTH TO HER OWN FUTURE MATES.
Whitaker: ONCE UPON A TIME, A FEMALE KOMODO DRAGON
WASHED UP ON THIS ISLAND HERE.
NOW, SHE WAS ALONE --
THERE WERE NO OTHER KOMODO DRAGONS THERE.
BUT SHE LAID A CLUTCH OF EGGS,
AND PRODUCED FIVE VIABLE OFFSPRING.
AND THEY ARE ALL MALES.
NOT TWINS, NOT CLONES,
GENETICALLY DISTINCT MALES
WHICH COULD, WHEN THEY MATURED,
MATE WITH THIS SAME FEMALE,
AND SHE'D PRODUCE MORE OFFSPRING.
IN THIS CASE, BECAUSE IT WAS SEXUAL REPRODUCTION,
SHE WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE MALES AND FEMALES.
Abraham: ALTHOUGH SHE IS AN EVE WITHOUT AN ADAM,
A NEW POPULATION SPRINGS UP, COMPLETE WITH MALES AND FEMALES.
OVER TIME,
CHANCES ARE THAT A TRAVELING MALE
MAY FIND THE ISLAND
AND BRING NEW GENES INTO THE MIX.
THE DRAGONS HAVE CONQUERED A NEW LAND.
FOR ROM WHITAKER, SCIENTIST AND STORY LOVER,
THE ABILITIES OF REPTILES CONTINUE TO ASTONISH,
AND THE DRAGONS OF MYTH AND LEGEND
ARE ALIVE AND WELL --
AND ALL AROUND US IN THE REAL WORLD.
FOR $19.99 PLUS SHIPPING.
TO ORDER, CALL 1-800-336-1917.
NEXT TIME ON "NATURE,"
THE POLAR BEAR -- BUILT TO SURVIVE THE ARCTIC;
PRESSING NORTH, THE GRIZZLY.
ONCE, THESE BEARS WOULD RARELY MEET,
BUT THE ARCTIC IS MELTING.
WILL THE GRIZZLY CLAIM THE ARCTIC,
OR WILL THE POLAR BEAR HANG ON?
TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN
ON THIS "NATURE" PROGRAM,
VISIT PBS.ORG.