The Komodo dragon is the world’s largest lizard species. It is found
mainly on the Indonesian islands of Komodo, Rintja, Padar, and Flores in
the Komodo National Park. They exist nowhere else in the world; they reach
lengths of up to 3 meters or more, and weigh up to 70 kg. Their large size
is attributed to island gigantism, since there are no other carnivorous
animals to fill the niche on the islands where they live. These reptiles
are swift runners and climbers with great appetites for deer and wild
boar. There are only an estimated 1000 to 5000 of these monitor lizards
living today.
The image was acquired 20 July 2000, covers an area of 43.8 x 55.5 km, and
is located at 8.7 degrees south latitude, 119.5 degrees east longitude.
With its 14 spectral bands from the visible to the thermal infrared
wavelength region and its high spatial resolution of 15 to 90 meters
(about 50 to 300 feet), ASTER images Earth to map and monitor the changing
surface of our planet. ASTER is one of five Earth-observing instruments
launched December 18, 1999, on NASA's Terra satellite. The instrument was
built by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A joint
U.S./Japan science team is responsible for validation and calibration of
the instrument and the data products.
The broad spectral coverage and high spectral resolution of ASTER provides
scientists in numerous disciplines with critical information for surface
mapping and monitoring of dynamic conditions and temporal change. Example
applications are: monitoring glacial advances and retreats; monitoring
potentially active volcanoes; identifying crop stress; determining cloud
morphology and physical properties; wetlands evaluation; thermal pollution
monitoring; coral reef degradation; surface temperature mapping of soils
and geology; and measuring surface heat balance.
The U.S. science team is located at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, Calif. The Terra mission is part of NASA's Science Mission
Directorate.
More information about ASTER is available at http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/.