Komodo dragonsthe largest species of lizard in the world, have teeth with iron spikes that help them tear apart their prey, according to new research.
The metal is concentrated on the cutting edge and the tips of its curved, serrated teeth, dyeing them orange, scientists wrote in a paper published Wednesday in Nature Ecology & Evolution magazine.
Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and weigh around 80 kilograms on average. They eat almost any type of meat and are known as deadly predators.
A team of researchers led by Aaron LeBlanc, a professor of dental biosciences at King’s College London, analyzed Komodo dragon teeth using advanced imaging and chemical analysis, according to a statement from the university.
They found that the iron is concentrated in a thin coating that acts as a protective layer that keeps them sharp, LeBlanc told CNN on Wednesday.
“If they didn’t have that iron coating, I’m sure the enamel on the cutting edges would wear off very quickly and the tooth would go dull,” he said.
“That’s not very good for an animal that relies on having these razor-sharp teeth to cut meat.”
LeBlanc said he was surprised to find iron, as the metal is typically associated with the more complex teeth of mammals, such as beavers and mice, rather than reptiles, which tend to have simpler teeth.
“I saw it many times before I really believed it,” he said. “The first times I saw it, I thought it was a spot caused by food.”
“It looks like someone took an orange pen or thin paintbrush and painted the tip of the cutting edges orange,” he added.
LeBlanc analyzed teeth from museum collections, as well as from a Komodo dragon named Ganus, who lived at London Zoo until he was euthanized last year.
Having a fresher sample from a zoo animal was interesting because the entire jaw, including the gum tissue, was still intact, LeBlanc explained.
The analysis showed that iron was already present when teeth emerged from the gum tissue and was also present despite Ganus having a very different diet to wild Komodo dragons, he added.
The findings can help us understand how carnivorous dinosaurswhich had curved, serrated teeth similar to those of Komodo dragons, killed and ate their prey, LeBlanc said.
However, at this stage it was not possible to determine whether dinosaur teeth had high levels of iron, because the metal is very common and leaches into fossils over time, he added.
The next task is to analyze the fossilized teeth of monitor lizards and look for alternative markers that could help us understand the composition of the fossilized teeth, he said.
Benjamin Tapley, Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the Zoological Society of London and co-author of the study, said in the statement that Komodo dragons are “indisputably impressive.”
“Komodo dragons are unfortunately endangered, so in addition to strengthening our understanding of how the iconic dinosaurs may have lived, this discovery also helps us build a deeper understanding of these incredible reptiles as we work to protect them.” , he said.
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