318 
Auffenberg 
is devoted to social and thermoregulatory ac- 
tivity. 
With the exception of the large snakes, 
waste is lower for the Komodo monitor than 
in any other large carnivorous vertebrate. 
Bones, hooves — almost everything is de- 
voured. Minimum nonutilized amounts of 
carrion are about 12 percent. Their prodig- 
eous appetite, high feeding rate and low 
waste are undoubtedly all important factors 
in niche utilization efficiency. These are un- 
doubtedly the most important factors in re- 
ducing interspecific competition for carrion. 
Oras probably share less carrion with other 
species than any other large scavenger (Auf- 
fenberg, 1972; MS). 
Feeding Aggregations 
Because of their wide-ranging activity and 
the efficiency with which Komodo monitors 
locate either a fresh kill or carrion, groups 
of hungry individuals quickly gather around 
a localized food source. As already men- 
tioned, the scent of decomposing flesh is a 
source of attraction; in the case of a fresh 
kill, it is the scent of the intestinal contents 
slung out of the viscera by the initial preda- 
tory individual. Within a few hours after a 
fresh kill, one commonly finds three or four 
monitors feeding. As many as 17 individuals 
(Mean=3.9) may feed from a carcass in 1 
day, with smaller groups (Mean/day=1.7) 
found at fresh kills than at carrion (Mean= 
4.6/day). An aggregation of monitors is sel- 
dom seen for more than 2 days, by which 
time even large carcasses are usually com- 
pletely consumed. 
Normally, an aggregation is “fluid,” with 
some individuals leaving and others arriving. 
Not all individuals feed at the same time; 
they are frequently spread over several hun- 
dred square meters, alternately feeding and 
walking about, or resting under vegetation. 
Individuals in an aggregation range in length 
from approximately 1 to 3 m, and include, 
both residents and transients. As already 
noted, such gatherings lead to a great deal of 
interaction, with agonistic behavior pre- 
dominating (Burden, 1928; Broughton, 
1936; Hoogerwerf, 1954; Oesman, 1970, and 
others). The fact that the monitors are can- 
nibalistic doubtless has a shaping influence 
on the relationship of the feeding group. 
Aggregations at carcasses apparently fa- 
cilitate mating in Komodo monitors. How- 
ever, gregariousness is obviously not vital 
for successful mating in varanids. Fighting 
is important to the attainment of social 
standing in the temporary hierarchy and 
thereby to certain rights to food or to a 
mature female. 
Active Predation 
There is much confusion in the literature 
regarding the extent to which this species 
attacks and kills living prey. That young 
monitors probably capture and eat small ani- 
mals is undoubted, although little data are 
available. The feeding of large individuals, 
however, has generated controversy. The 
earlier literature (Burden, 1928; Lallemont, 
1929, and de Jong, 1937) is rather speciflc in 
its emphasis on the utilization of large prey. 
My work indicates that the earlier workers 
were correct when they stated that large, 
live prey are often attacked, killed, and eaten 
(Auffenberg, MS). 
It is now clear that the predatory activities 
of V. komodoensis fall into three main cate- 
gories reflecting predator sizes: (1) hatch- 
lings that feed exclusively on small animals, 
such as insects and lizards found under bark, 
in crevices of stumps, logs, trunks of trees, 
and in the grass; (2) small to medium-sized 
monitors that feed largely on rodents and 
birds normally obtained on or under the 
ground (in burrows, rock piles, etc.) ; and 
(3) large monitors that may feed on animals 
as large, or larger, than themselves. As 
shown below, these are located by both sight 
and scent and obtained through both stealth 
and surprise along established game trails 
and in thickets. Detailed analysis of the prey 
species and their age, etc., eaten by various 
size V. komodoensis, are provided in Auffen- 
berg (MS). I would like to emphasize the 
