If Komodo dragons weren't terrifying enough already, researchers accidentally discovered that their razor sharp, serrated teeth are coated in metal.
Should you need another reason to never leave your house, just know that legendarily bloodthirsty gigantic reptiles that have been known to eat humans also have teeth coated in iron.
Upon closely examining the teeth, the researchers discovered that they are not only curved and serrated, aiding in tearing apart flesh, but also feature a strange orange line. Closer examination of the discoloration revealed it to be the result of a thin coat of iron. They surmised that the metal is a protective layer that helps the teeth maintain their deadly edge.
However, as dinosaur teeth become fossilized, their chemical composition changes, making it impossible—or at least currently impossible—to detect whether iron was once present in their teeth. Still, some similarities between the chompers of Komodo dragons and tyrannosaurs were found. LeBlanc hasn’t given up hope, though. With further study, it’s possible new methods could be devised to detect other markers of iron in Komodo dragon teeth. Those techniques, in turn, could theoretically then be applied to the search for iron in fossilized dinosaur teeth.
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