Komodo dragons, the world’s largest species of lizard, have iron-tipped teeth that help them to rip their prey apart, according to new research.
The metal is concentrated in the cutting edge and tips of their curved, serrated teeth, staining them orange, scientists wrote in a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Komodo dragons are native to Indonesia and weigh around 80 kilograms on average. They eat almost any kind of meat and are known as deadly predators.
LeBlanc analyzed teeth from museum collections as well as from a Komodo dragon named Ganus, which lived at London Zoo until it was euthanized last year. Having a fresher sample from a zoo-kept animal was interesting because the whole jaw including the gum tissue was still intact, LeBlanc explained. Analysis showed that iron was already present when the teeth erupted from the gum tissue, and was also present despite Ganus having a very different diet to wild Komodo dragons, he added.
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