Iron found in flesh-ripping Komodo dragons’ teeth could unveil dinosaur secrets

Researchers from King’s College London have found that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons’ teeth are tipped with iron.

This discovery sheds light on how Komodo dragons maintain their razor-sharp teeth and may offer insights into how dinosaurs, such as Tyrannosaurus rex, killed and consumed their prey.

Dr Aaron LeBlanc, lecturer in Dental Biosciences at King’s College London and the study’s lead author, said: “Komodo dragons have curved, serrated teeth to rip and tear their prey just like those of meat-eating dinosaurs.”

“We want to use this similarity to learn more about how carnivorous dinosaurs might have eaten and if they used iron in their teeth the same way as the Komodo dragon.”

Higher iron content than crocodiles

Komodo dragons, native to Indonesia, are the largest living species of monitor lizard, typically weighing around 80 kg. As deadly predators, they have sharp, curved teeth resembling those of many carnivorous dinosaurs.

Komodo dragons consume almost any type of meat, from smaller reptiles and birds to deer, horses, and water buffalo, using their teeth to tear and rip apart flesh.

Researchers discovered that while many reptiles have some iron in their teeth, Komodo dragons have a high concentration of iron along the cutting edges and tips of their teeth, which stains them orange.

In contrast, crocodiles and other monitor lizards have such low iron content in their teeth that it is often invisible.

Analyzing Komodo dragon teeth

To understand the chemical and structural composition of Komodo dragon teeth, scientists examined skulls and teeth from museum collections and studied the teeth of Ganas, a 15-year-old Komodo dragon from the ZSL conservation zoo, London Zoo.

Using advanced imaging and chemical analysis, the researchers discovered that the iron in Komodo dragons’ enamel is concentrated in a thin coating on the serrations and tips of their teeth .

This protective layer helps keep their teeth’s serrated edges sharp and ready for use at any moment.

Findings and further research

This research opens up new questions and avenues for investigating how extinct species, such as dinosaurs, lived and consumed their prey.

LeBlanc says , “Unfortunately, using the technology we have at the moment, we can’t see whether fossilized dinosaur teeth had high levels of iron or not. We think that the chemical changes which take place during the fossilization process obscure how much iron was present to start with.”

“What we did find, though, was that larger meat-eating dinosaurs, like tyrannosaurs, did change the structure of the enamel itself on the cutting edges of their teeth. So, while Komodo dragons have altered the chemistry of their teeth, some dinosaurs altered the structure of their dental enamel to maintain a sharp cutting edge.”

LeBlanc is of the opinion that further analysis of the reptile’s teeth might reveal additional markers within the iron coating that remain unchanged during fossilization. Such markers could definitively determine if dinosaurs also possessed iron-coated teeth, enhancing our understanding of these formidable predators.

The study has been published in Nature Ecology & Evolution .