A combined tooth-venom arsenal revealed as key to Komodo Dragon's hunting strategy
19 May 09
A new study shows that the effectiveness of the Komodo Dragon bite is a combination of highly specialized serrated teeth and venom. The authors also dismiss the widely accepted theory that prey die from septicemia caused by toxic bacteria living in the dragon's mouth.
Using sophisticated medical imaging techniques, an international team led by Dr Bryan Grieg Fry from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bio21 Institute, University of Melbourne have revealed that the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) has the most complex venom glands yet described for any reptile, and that its close extinct relative Megalania was the largest venomous animal to have lived. Read the University of Melbourne Media Release , Tuesday 19 May 2009.