Dragons with Iron Teeth
Scientists have discovered why Komodo dragons’ teeth are so strong.
© Uryadnikov Sergey/stock.adobe.com
Komodo dragons are the largest living lizards on the planet. But it’s not just their bodies that are powerful. Their teeth are super strong, too—and scientists have learned that this is because they’re coated with a layer of iron.
Scientists at King’s College in London, England, made the discovery while studying the teeth of several reptiles. These included Komodo dragons, monitor lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and dinosaurs. When scientists put the teeth under a microscope, they found that all of them except the dinosaur teeth had orange markings. It turned out that the orange stuff was iron.
LeBlanc, A.R.H., Morrell, A.P., Sirovica, S. et al. Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). (CC BY 4.0) Natural History Museum, London (NHMUK 1934.9.2.1), Museum of Life Sciences (MoLS X263); Photo composite Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
This Komodo dragon skull has huge teeth! The smaller photo shows the orange-colored iron.
All the reptiles the scientists studied are carnivores, or meat eaters. Komodo dragons, which live on several islands in the country of Indonesia, can kill animals as large as cattle with a bite that contains venom. Like the other reptiles in the study, their teeth are serrated. This means they have tiny notches along the edges, just like many knives.
Scientists found that most of the iron on the reptiles’ teeth was located along the serrated edges. This suggests that the iron helps keep the teeth strong enough to bite into the flesh of their prey.
“If they didn’t have this iron coating, I’m sure the enamel on the cutting edges would wear away very quickly and the tooth would dull,” scientist Aaron LeBlanc told CNN. “That’s not very good for an animal that relies on having these razor-blade sharp teeth.”
LeBlanc, A.R.H., Morrell, A.P., Sirovica, S. et al. Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles. Nat Ecol Evol (2024). (CC BY 4.0) Museum of Life Sciences (MoLS X263)
Komodo dragon teeth are serrated, like many knives.
While the dinosaur teeth in the study didn’t have a similar iron coating, scientists believe the amount of iron on the teeth may have changed as the teeth became fossils.
Scientists say that studying Komodo dragon teeth may help them understand how carnivorous dinosaurs’ teeth remained strong, even though they were used a lot!
