this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2024
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Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth, scientists find | Reptiles | The Guardian (amp.theguardian.com)
submitted 3 months ago by Mothra@mander.xyz to c/science@mander.xyz
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Pretty interesting find. (Not completely sure if this is the right community for this- let me know if you know where else it would be a good fit!)

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[–] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 33 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

They aren't the only ones. Beavers do too! So does the Giant Pacific chiton (world's largest chiton, a type of mollusk).

Pretty useful for animals that have to scrape food off rocks or continually gnaw through something.

I guess Komodo dragons need those teeth to last, whereas sharks are just like "I got a million of these things."

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 9 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Beavers keep growing their yeeth indefinitely too due to being rodents, but the iron buildup probably helps the teeth wear a bit slower.

[–] Malgas@beehaw.org 10 points 3 months ago

The iron content in beaver teeth is concentrated at the front surface so that they are self-sharpening as they wear down.

[–] Pheral@lemmy.world 3 points 3 months ago

And bloodworms have copper teeth! I guess they get it from the sediments they live in. That blew my mind, so finding this out about reptiles is so wild.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I didn't know that either about beavers. Or chitons. But I already knew about mollusks doing crazy things with iron, like that armor plated snail.

I'm surprised Komodo dragons need their teeth to last, reptiles afaik replace their teeth indefinitely

[–] Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I just looked it up and apparently the iron is just to enhance the cutting surface. They do have teeth that replaced themselves indefinitely as well.

With beavers, the enamel is iron enhanced so it's stronger than the dentine behind. They wear unevenly, the back wearing down more easily than the front, which keeps the teeth sharp. They're incisors continue to grow indefinitely, but they don't get replacements if they lose one.

[–] shani66@ani.social 9 points 3 months ago

Evolution really fucked up when it came to our teeth, huh?

[–] DavidGarcia@feddit.nl 8 points 3 months ago

there's some snail that has an iron sulfide shell

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 2 points 3 months ago (2 children)

the article doesn't mention how corrosion is prevented, since iron loves to rust, also doesn't link to a paper which could contain that information

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 11 points 3 months ago (2 children)

The coating being orange indicates it is reacting with oxygen, aka rusting.

They aren't shiny silver plated teeth.

[–] expatriado@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

rust of soft tho, it doesn't like to bond with each other

[–] shalafi@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Had to look this up yesterday as I had thought the same. In rodents anyway, the orange color is from amino acids, not the iron in their teeth.

[–] snooggums@midwest.social 2 points 3 months ago

Where did you find a source that it was from amino acids?

This one says the orange is from the iron

Wikipedia's citationed summary confirms it is orange due to the the iron

They have four chisel-shaped incisors that continue to grow throughout their lives. The incisors are covered in a thick enamel that is colored orange or reddish-brown by iron compounds.

[–] Pheral@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

I thought about the rust too. Wouldn't that mean their bite could give you tetanus on top of the hellish bacterial cocktail they have in their saliva?

[–] cashmaggot@piefed.social 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

I've got some thoughts that kick up on reading this.

a) Does anyone have some solid reading on this family of lizards?

b) I know a bit about Komodo dragons. I know they tend to eat the dead, and it's believed they gained their title due to looking like dragons and inflicting deadly toxic bites. It was later analyzed (although this is all from memory) that it wasn't as if they had actual poison in their mouths, but instead just carried bacterial that would infect the wounds.

c) In reading up (wiki) on their hunting habits (shred and stalk) it actually does sound more akin to some of the smaller Saurischian hunting habits. As I remember reading about some would slash vulnerable parts of their prey and then stalk them until they succumbed to their wounds. But it's also my understanding that T-Rex had bulbous teeth over these sort of curved like teeth. And acted as a guillotine crushing their prey bones and all over inflicting razor like damage. So I think the article (at least to my understanding) is off the mark there with its comparison.

[–] Mothra@mander.xyz 2 points 3 months ago (1 children)

It's The Guardian. Take it with a pinch of salt. Sorry, I should have linked the original papers.

[–] cashmaggot@piefed.social 2 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Absolutely no worries, I am really not a stickler. And the Guardian has brought up some really interesting things as far as I know since reading it. I don't really mind what anyone links. I was just wondering if anyone has some interesting reads on the subject. I recently found this blog with 5 mammalian-esq reptiles and it was an interesting read. I was just wondering if anyone had some interesting reads on Komodos because I just scrubbed the wiki and love reading stuff on this.

p.s. - MOTHRA =D! I should have named myself Gidora. Hahaha! Jelly, like a donut!

[–] companero@hexbear.net 2 points 3 months ago

That's metal kelly