Axel Sauro
@axelsauro.bsky.social
Naturalist, paleontology enthusiast, animal keeper.
Cover by Mette Aumala
Cover by Mette Aumala
You got them swapped
December 4, 2025 at 9:04 PM
You got them swapped
Genuinely on the same level for me. I'm a massive fan of both animals converging to certain ecology starting with a very unique and different body plan, *and* those predators which responded to the question "how big does your head need to be to hunt successfully" with:
a man with a beard wears a yellow shirt
ALT: a man with a beard wears a yellow shirt
media.tenor.com
December 4, 2025 at 6:39 PM
Genuinely on the same level for me. I'm a massive fan of both animals converging to certain ecology starting with a very unique and different body plan, *and* those predators which responded to the question "how big does your head need to be to hunt successfully" with:
I'm in, that would've been great
December 4, 2025 at 2:41 PM
I'm in, that would've been great
I find surprising they didn't actually get larger, back when coeval aquatic reptiles tended to get enormous in those ecosystems
December 3, 2025 at 11:55 PM
I find surprising they didn't actually get larger, back when coeval aquatic reptiles tended to get enormous in those ecosystems
Indeed, that's why I'm so interested in Komodo dragons predation, because they might offer a window into extinct macropredatory reptiles behavior (still taking it with caution ofc).
December 3, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Indeed, that's why I'm so interested in Komodo dragons predation, because they might offer a window into extinct macropredatory reptiles behavior (still taking it with caution ofc).
I'm not aware of any paper on the subject, but it'd be interesting.
December 3, 2025 at 10:57 PM
I'm not aware of any paper on the subject, but it'd be interesting.
It's not too different from the semi-social behavior of many crocodilians after all, which might compare better to macroraptorial lizards than their smaller, generalist kin.
December 3, 2025 at 10:55 PM
It's not too different from the semi-social behavior of many crocodilians after all, which might compare better to macroraptorial lizards than their smaller, generalist kin.
Yeah it'd be interesting to know if the semi-social behavior of Komodo dragons was acquired in their insular habitat, or if they (and possibly megalania) already manifested it ancestrally. I suppose it makes sense as a macroraptorial lizard to stay close to your kin, as large prey can feed many.
December 3, 2025 at 10:53 PM
Yeah it'd be interesting to know if the semi-social behavior of Komodo dragons was acquired in their insular habitat, or if they (and possibly megalania) already manifested it ancestrally. I suppose it makes sense as a macroraptorial lizard to stay close to your kin, as large prey can feed many.
It's a combination of that, and their metabolism allowing them to follow prey for days without eating, which is why it's so rare among large predators.
December 3, 2025 at 10:49 PM
It's a combination of that, and their metabolism allowing them to follow prey for days without eating, which is why it's so rare among large predators.
Of black backed gulls as well, apparently, which also made some people have reactionary tantrums about city gulls...
December 3, 2025 at 10:47 PM
Of black backed gulls as well, apparently, which also made some people have reactionary tantrums about city gulls...
... If they were still alive, someone's chihuaha wouldn't have been happy about it
December 3, 2025 at 10:42 PM
... If they were still alive, someone's chihuaha wouldn't have been happy about it
Also, smaller terror birds were of course not on the macroraptorial side of the bunch, but we're still talking about a 5-8kg bird with a relatively robust, hooked beak and sickle claws and almost a meter high... That's roughly twice the size of a ground hornbill, which can feed on rabbits.
December 3, 2025 at 10:42 PM
Also, smaller terror birds were of course not on the macroraptorial side of the bunch, but we're still talking about a 5-8kg bird with a relatively robust, hooked beak and sickle claws and almost a meter high... That's roughly twice the size of a ground hornbill, which can feed on rabbits.
It's incredibly cool. Seriemas on steroids.
December 3, 2025 at 10:33 PM
It's incredibly cool. Seriemas on steroids.
Depends on what the mascot is for!
December 3, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Depends on what the mascot is for!
Prey is quickly crippled by slashing bites at the tendons, but takes a very long time to die (which is the main reason behind the infective bite myth).
December 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Prey is quickly crippled by slashing bites at the tendons, but takes a very long time to die (which is the main reason behind the infective bite myth).
And yeah, communal hunting is frequent with buffalos. There doesn't seem to be real coordination, but when one dragon starts the hunt, others seem to follow. It's a battle of attrition.
December 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
And yeah, communal hunting is frequent with buffalos. There doesn't seem to be real coordination, but when one dragon starts the hunt, others seem to follow. It's a battle of attrition.
They'll dart away from head charges, even using tail slaps to keep some distance, and then close in. Relentlessly. For up to a week. This is so different from other extant macropredators, I can't avoid thinking about it when imagining large extinct predatory reptiles.
December 3, 2025 at 11:08 AM
They'll dart away from head charges, even using tail slaps to keep some distance, and then close in. Relentlessly. For up to a week. This is so different from other extant macropredators, I can't avoid thinking about it when imagining large extinct predatory reptiles.
Adult Komodo dragons mostly eat boars and deer, and also tackle water buffalos occasionally, all with plenty of videos showing the behavior.
December 2, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Adult Komodo dragons mostly eat boars and deer, and also tackle water buffalos occasionally, all with plenty of videos showing the behavior.
Especially because it's pretty much indisputable, there's extensive documentation
December 2, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Especially because it's pretty much indisputable, there's extensive documentation
For me it's frustrating because it's a very social media tendency to push for negative agendas, and gratuitous negativity is pointless/harmful yet very successful.
December 2, 2025 at 6:28 PM
For me it's frustrating because it's a very social media tendency to push for negative agendas, and gratuitous negativity is pointless/harmful yet very successful.