Mangrove of Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Mangrove is a group of plants that live at coastal line or estuary, with some characteristic form of the affect of sea-water tide. Many coast of Komodo National Park have mangrove forest, even on the small islands. Some site that have a good mangrove forest such as Loh Lawi, around Tanjung Kuning through Loh Sebita and Gililawa in Komodo Island; Loh Kima, Loh Buaya through Rinca Village in Rinca Island; Papagaran Island, Mangiatan Island, Bero Island, and many others small islands. These mangrove forests are interesting ecosystem because of their life affected of land and marine environment. As long as the terrestrial and marine environment are still in good condition, mangrove forest will survive. The picture above is mangrove forest at Loh Buaya, Rinca Island that contain many species of true mangrove such as Avicennia marina, Bruguiera gymnorrhyza, Ceriops decandra, C. tagal, Lumnitzera racemosa, Rhyzophora apiculata, R. mucronata, R. stylosa, and Sonneratia alba. All of previous species are major mangrove. The other true mangrove that include as minor mangrove at Loh Buaya e.g. Excoecaria agallocha and Xylocarpus rumphii.

Some benefit of mangrove forest for ecosystem, wildlife, and indirectly for us, are :

1. To prevent erosion from terrestrial and abrasion from sea
2. To reduce wave and wind
3. To catch sediment (mud, detritus)
4. As nursery ground, feeding ground, and spawning ground for many kind of fishes and others marine life
5. As habitat for birds, reptiles, crabs, etc.
   

The list below is mangrove species that could be found in Komodo National Park:

A. Major mangrove

1. Avicennia marina
2. A. officinalis
3. Bruguiera cylindrica
4. B. gymnorrhyza
5. Ceriops decandra
6. C. tagal
7. Lumnitzera racemosa
8. Rhizophora apiculata
9. R. mucronata
10. R. stylosa
11. Sonneratia alba

B. Minor mangrove

1. Aegiceras floridum
2. Excoecaria agallocha
3. Osbornia octodonta
4. Pemphis acidula
5. Xylocarpus granatum
6. X. rumphii

C. Associated mangrove

1. Calotrophis gigantea
2. Cerbera mangas
3. Clerodendron inerme
4. Hibiscus tiliaceus
5. Pandanus tectorius
6. Sesuvium postulacastrum
7. Spinifex littoreus
8. Thespesia populnea

The list above could be increase by surveys and researches. This mangrove data will be update regularly. For more information or photos, please contact us by e-mail or mobile phone.

Sampel pictures of major mangrove in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia:











Photo 1. Flower of Avicennia marina at Loh Liang, Komodo Island











Photo 2. Flower of Lumnitzera racemosa at Gililawa, Komodo Island















Photo 3. Flower and fruit of Bruguiera cylindrica at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island











Photo 4. Flower of Bruguiera gymnorrhyza at Loh Sebita, Komodo Island











Photo 5. Fruit of Ceriops decandra at Loh Dasami, Komodo Island











Photo 6. Flower of Ceriops tagal at Nusa Kode Island











Photo 7. Flower of Rhyzophora mucronata at Loh Sebita, Komodo Island











Photo 8. Leaf and aerial root of R. apiculata at Loh Sebita, Komodo Island











Photo 9. Stand of Sonneratia alba at Loh Lawi, Komodo Island











Photo 10. Fruit of S. alba at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island



Sample pictures of Minor Mangrove in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia:











Photo 1. Flower of Aegiceras floridum at Loh Liang, Komodo Island











Photo 2. Male flower of Excoecaria agallocha at Nusa Kode Island















Photo 3. Flower of Osbornia octodonta at Loh Liang, Komodo Island











Photo 4. Fruit of Xylocarpus rumphii at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island



Sample pictures of associated mangrove in Komodo National Park, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia:











Photo 1. Fruit of Cerbera mangas at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island











Photo 2. Fruit of Pandanus tectorius at Loh Liang, Komodo Island











Photo 3. Female flower of Spinifex littoreus grass at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island











Photo 4. Flower of Thespesia populnea at Loh Liang, Komodo Island

Orchids of Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Orchids are unique plant with various kind of flower, leaf, and their life style. Even Komodo National Park’ area mostly dry, there are more than 30 species of orchids. Most of those orchids life on the mountainous forest i.e. Mount Ara and Mount Satalibo in Komodo Island. Most common orchids that easily could found in low land forest (monsoon forest) is Vanda limbata (picture above). Another orchids that also found in tourism activity area with monsoon forest are 2 kind of Dendrobium orchids (with white and orange flower). The Vanda orchid blossom almost all the time but the Dendrobium orchids blossom only one or two times a year. The white Dendrobium blossom on June, the orange Dendrobium blossom on around September and sometime on January. The pictures below are Disperis javanica J.J.Sm. (top left), the only terrestrial orchid has found in the park, this orchid was found at Bamboo forest on the to Mount Ara; Nervilia sp (top right), the amoebofit orchid, this orchid could be found at Loh Sebita, Komodo Island and at Loh Baru & Loh Dasami, Rinca Island; and Dendrobium sp (bottom) at Mount Ara, Komodo Island.

The mountain orchids mostly blossom only one per year on September or December. Only few of these orchids already identified, such as Dendrobium secundum and at least 4 other Dendrobium species, Saccolabium juncifolium (Bl.) J.J.S. Thrixspermum arachnithes, Pholidota imbricata Lindl., Sarcanthus sp, and Eria sp. Most of these orchids are epiphytic. There are at least 2 species of amoebofit orchids i.e. Nervilia aragoana and another Nervilia sp, that have bulb in the ground, when rainy season the single leaf will appears and after dormant for few weeks it will be blossom on December. Research and information of these orchids and the habitat are very limited. Komodo National Park welcomes anyone who interested with orchids to make a research on it as welcomes with other researchers. The pictures below are Vanda limbata (top left) was found at Loh Liang, Komodo Island; Dendrobium sp (top right) at Loh Sebita, Komodo Island; ana Thrixpermum sp at Mount Ara, Komodo Island.

Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis)

Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world that can reach 3 m length. In local language, it called “ora”. The distribution of the dragon restricted endemically in 5 islands in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Four of these five islands are in Komodo National Park area i.e. Komodo Island, Rinca Island, Gili Motang Island, and Nusa Kode Island. The fifth island is Flores, the largest island (among those 5 islands) but the distribution of the dragon in this island only in western part (Wae Wuul) and northern part (Riung). The photo above was taken from Loh Dasami, Rinca Island.

Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) includes of the list of Appendix I Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and categorize as “vulnerable” by International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). Since 1986 the dragon assessed as “rare” animal by IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre. By Indonesian Government, the dragon listed as a “national fauna” and protected by some verdict, e.g. PP Binatang Liar on 1931, SK Menhut No. 301/Kpts-II/1991, and PP No. 7 on 1999.

Adult komodo dragons are larger than the female, and can visually be distinguished. The longest dragon has ever measured is 3.05 m and the heaviest one is 100.5 kg (after meal) but in normal condition the weight of big dragon about 50 to 60 kg. The breeding season of the dragon occurs around July to August. Female dragon can lays up to 30 eggs about a month after mating. Most of those eggs will hatch (fecundity usually up to 80%) on around February to March. There are three types of Komodo nest i.e. mound, hill, and ground. The mound type nest is the most common nest (more than a half of all nests) that built from the nest of megapod bird (Megapodius reiwardt). The picture above is female dragon guiding her hill nest, was taken from Loh Liang, Komodo Island.

According to the final report of research between Komodo National Park with CRES-Zoological Society of San Diego (incorporate with The Nature Conservancy), the hatchlings averages 18.48 cm in SVL (snout to vent length), 42.20 cm in total length, and 91.43 grams in weight. The baby komodo dragons spend almost all of their life on the tree (arboreal), and become less arboreal when they are juvenile. This degree of arboreal life continue decreasing by their age and weight until they become adult with completely terrestrial. The picture above shows babies komodo that were hatch in Loh Buaya, Rinca Island on February 2005.

Large komodo dragons feed mainly on Timor deer (Cervus timorensis) with less frequently prey on wild buffalo (Buballus bubalis) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Occasionally, they also prey on green turtle (Chelonia mydas), wild horse (Equus cabalus), and many more. The smaller dragons take their meal after the large ones finished or they try to “steal” the meal. Beside the remainder of those meal, the juvenile of dragon also feed mostly on rat (Komodomys rintjanus), lizards, gecko (Gekko gecko), snake (includes the cobra/Naja naja), bird and their eggs, and insects. Because of this complicated food web, to be successfully conserve the dragon, we also have to conserve and manage their habitat, include all of those prey. The left picture above shows a dragon eating a dead green turtle at Loh Dasami, Rinca Island. The right picture is the eye of the dragon, and the picture below is the claw of the dragon.