What comes to mind when you hear endemic animals of East Nusa Tenggara? Komodo, of course. Komodo dragons are not only famous in their area of ​​origin but also proudly bear the name of Indonesia because they have Komodo dragons as one of the endemic animals of one of the regions of Indonesia. Komodo is very famous even in foreign countries. Are NTT Endemic Animals Just Komodo Dragons? No. Add your knowledge to find out which animals are endemic to NTT.

East Nusa Tenggara or often shortened to NTT is the eastern part of the Nusa Tenggara Islands, Indonesia. The capital city of this province is Kupang. The majority of the population of NTT is somewhat Christian, both Catholic and Protestant. It lives side by side with other religions.

NTT consists of an archipelago of approximately 1,200 islands, with the largest main island being 3 islands, namely Flores Island, Sumba Island and Timor Island. Unfortunately, NTT is one of the regions with a relatively low level of progress. NTT still faces problems with clean water, poor nutrition and low levels of education. But beyond that, NTT has an extraordinary charm that even the whole world looks at.

One of the attractions of NTT besides its natural beauty are the endemic animals that it has. The area is still quite beautiful and human awareness of keeping and preserving the animals means that this NTT endemic animal still exists today. These are the typical animals of the East Nusa Tenggara province:

Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

Komodo is the largest species in the family. Varanidae and at the same time was crowned the largest living lizard in the world. Komodo in the local language in NTT is also called ora or Komodo dragons.

The size of the Komodo dragon can reach 2 to 3 meters with a body weight of up to 100 kg. Komodo is a carnivorous predator that occupies a place in the food chain as the top predator. Due to their large size and ferocity, no other animals are known to exist as of yet that make Komodo dragons their prey. The heaviest Komodo dragon ever found weighs 166 kg and is 3.13 meters long.

The length of the Komodo dragon’s tail is approximately equal to its body length. Komodo has sharp teeth with a size of 2.5 cm with a total of up to 60 pieces. The size of the male Komodo dragon is generally larger than that of the female Komodo dragon. Komodo dragon saliva is still often debated due to its sensitivity and the venom it contains.

Komodo dragons are solitary animals and generally gather only when they enter mating season or when eating game animals. Komodo dragons are carnivores that eat meat, but mostly they eat carrion. The short-term running speed is quite fast, reaching 20 km/hour and the Komodo dragon can also dive up to 4.5 meters deep.

Komodo dragons can live a very long time and can even reach the age of 50 years. Mating season for Komodo dragons usually occurs from May to October. When they lay their eggs, Komodo dragons usually lay them in the holes dug in the nest and incubate them for 7 to 8 months.

Komodo dragons are very rare animals and are vulnerable to extinction. So now the effort is to build a conservation center and a national park in the original habitat of this animal to protect it from poaching.

Giant Flower Rat (Papamygos armandvillei)

This rat is a rodent of the family Muridae and the only remaining species of the genus Papamygos. This rat lives and has a native habitat on the island of Flores. This giant Flores rat has a body size of up to 2 times that of the usual sewer rat with a body length of 41 to 45 cm and a tail length of 33 to 70 cm. With a body size of 2 times that of a normal rat, this giant Flores rat can weigh up to 8 times the weight of a normal rat. This rat can weigh up to 2.5 kg.

This rat is in the status of a rare animal and vulnerable to extinction. One of the reasons for this rarity is that it becomes prey for stray dogs and cats. This rat has jet-black fur and neat molars indicating that this animal is an insect, leaf, and fruit eater.

Eagle Flowers (Spizaetus florist)

The Flores eagle is one of the endemic carnivorous eagles belonging to Indonesia, living precisely on the island of Flores. This bird was originally equated with the brontok eagle, but after genetic testing it was found that this bird was a different species.

This Flores eagle is a large eagle with a body size of about 60 to 79 cm. Local farmers sometimes consider this eagle a pest because the Flores eagle often feeds on residents’ chickens. In addition to chickens, this eagle also eats snakes, lizards, and other small mammals.

The breeding season for these birds usually occurs during the dry season. Flores eagles will form nests in tall trees or in the wood of large trees. This bird population is also included in the rare category. Based on the research carried out, it is stated that the population of this bird is only around 100 pairs distributed between Flores and Sumbawa. Its habitat is in lowland tropical rainforests.