With their huge size, venomous bite and the fantastical connotations of their name, Komodo dragons seem like the stuff of legend.
Now, that status has been elevated further: scientists have discovered that their teeth are coated with a layer of iron that helps keep their serrated edges razor sharp.
It is the first time such a coating has been seen in any animal, and one the researchers describe as “a striking and previously overlooked predatory adaptation in the Komodo dragon”.
The coating was discovered when researchers noticed that the tips and serrated edges of Komodo dragons’ teeth were covered in a layer of orange pigment. On closer inspection, the enamel was found to contain concentrated iron that makes the teeth extra hard and resistant to wear, helping the dragons rip and tear their prey apart.
Komodo dragons are the largest living reptiles, growing to more than three metres in length and averaging 80kg in weight.
I like the implication that no one was brave enough to notice until now.
The literal definition of Nature is Metal \m/
I thought some rodents have orange teeth from iron content?
Looked it up. They DO have iron enriched enamel, but that’s not why the teeth are orange.
Do they give you tetanus? I remember on Planet Earth the waited a whole week for a Buffalo to die after scraping it with their teeth, cuz they use some kinda slow infectious poison.
Is it poison or just good old fashioned filth?
It’s bacteria.
Venom but it’s both
Ok, I had to look it up: it’s apparently been debunked that Komodo Dragons have dirty infectious bites and it’s actually related to a highly debated saliva-like mouth secretion that some classify as venom.
Damn
That is it’s venom
