Research reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed that Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) deliver a venomous bite to their victims, a fact that makes this already fearsome giant reptile even more formidable.
Komodo dragons are the world's largest species of lizard. Adults can grow to lengths of 3m and weigh as much as 165 kg. Previously, scientists thought the Komodo dragon's saliva was non-venomous and was instead laden with pathogenic bacteria which infected and immobilized their prey. But now a team of scientists led by Bryan Fry of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne have discovered that Komodo dragons possess a venom gland with ducts that feed into the lizard's teeth. When the Komodo dragon bites its victim, the venom drains through these ducts in their teeth and into the animals wounds.
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