Why are Komodo dragons more 'short-lived' than males?

In the Komodo dragon world, a giant carnivorous lizard species, females usually have a short life span (31 years), while males have twice the average life expectancy (62 years).

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Explaining the phenomenon, a group of scientists studied 400 individual Komodo dragons from 2002-2010 in eastern Indonesia.

The results showed that males and females were of the same adult body size at sex, at about 7 years old. But later the female grew slower and only about 1.2 meters long, weighs 22kg. The male is 1.6 meters long and weighs 65kg.

Breeding, nesting and protecting nests make dragons die earlier than male dragons

This growth rate can be seen as an evolutionary adaptation to ensure reproductive activity is successful. The females are usually smaller because they put energy into egg production, nesting and protecting the nest. While males are big enough to compete with other males in their rivalry and territory invasion.

However, it is the investment in female reproduction that has led to a large difference in its lifespan with males.'During egg laying and nesting that lasts for 6 months, children lose a lot of weight and have severe physical weakness , ' said Tim Jessop, a zoologist at Melbourne University.

Although Komodo dragons currently have about 5,000 individuals alive in the wild, only 350 females live. Early deaths increase the severity of competition among males and cause bisexual status in this species. Therefore, Komodo dragons are being listed as endangered species.

The study is published online PLoS ONE Magazine.

Reference: Livescience