Komodo dragons, also called Komodo dragons, are often compared to carnivorous dinosaurs for good reason. They are the largest living lizard on the planet. Their large, serrated teeth can tear through almost any type of meat, including water buffalo.large cattle weighing more than 450 kg, one of their main prey, that kill with a bite that leaves no escape. Monitor lizards have saliva rich in bacteria, which causes the wound to become infected, aided by the humid heat of those areas. The prey succumbs a few days later, followed by the monitor lizards that, finally, feast.
The discovery
Yesterday, scientists announced a discovery that could expand the analogies with large extinct reptiles: Komodo dragons’ teeth are coated with ironto better tear apart their prey. Aaron LeBlanc, professor of dental biosciences at King’s College London and lead author of the study, said in a press release that the findings provide “new insights into how Komodo dragons maintain their razor-sharp teeth and may provide clues to how a dinosaur like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate its prey.
According to the study, published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, this discovery “demonstrates a surprising and previously overlooked predatory adaptation in the Komodo dragon.” According to the authors, the “iron-enriched coatings on the serrations and tooth tips” of Komodo dragons are evident in their orange pigmentation. This pigmentation has never been reported before in a carnivorous reptile, they note.
While other reptiles have iron on their teeth, the study suggests that “only a few species have developed prominent iron coatings along specific parts of the tooth crowns, presumably as a feeding adaptation.”
Native to Indonesia, Komodo dragons are believed to be able to live up to 30 years in the wild. They are found only on a handful of islands in the archipelago, located between Sumbawa and Flores in the province of Nusa Tenggara Timur, including the one that gives the species its name.
They are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, which assesses populations at risk of extinction. The organization estimates that there are fewer than 3,500 Komodo dragons alive worldwide..
Dragons and Dinosaurs
Komodo dragons share a common ancestor with dinosaurs, and the iron coating on the ‘dragons’ teeth could shed light on how the top predators among dinosaurs consumed their prey, the authors say. The teeth of meat-eating dinosaurs resemble those of their Komodo ‘cousins’: they are serrated, curved and blade-shaped.
While the researchers couldn’t confirm a similar iron coating on dinosaur fossils, due to the effects of fossilization, “we want to use this similarity to learn more about how carnivorous dinosaurs ate. We want to find out if they used the iron in their teeth the same way that Komodo dragons do,” LeBlanc said in the press release.
“With further analysis of Komodo dragon teeth, we may be able to find other markers in the iron coating that have not changed during fossilization. With such markers, we will know for sure whether dinosaurs also had iron-coated teeth and will have a greater understanding of these ferocious predators,” he explained.
