File this under the Friday morning, “huh” file.
Komodo Dragons Have Iron-Coated Teeth, Study Finds
Komodo dragons, the largest predatory lizards on Earth, have iron-coated teeth, according to a new study. Researchers also looked at other reptiles and found that tooth enamel containing iron tips may be widespread, they reported last week in the journal Nature Ecology.
But the newly discovered feature was most striking in Komodo dragons—their chompers have an orange, iron-enriched coating on their serrations and tips. The adaptation could help maintain the sharpness of Komodo dragon teeth, which only have a thin layer of enamel.
“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,” Aaron LeBlanc, first author of the study and a paleontologist at King’s College London, tells CNN’s Jack Guy. “That’s not very good for an animal that relies on having these razor-blade sharp teeth to slice through meat.”
So evolution-wise who was first do you think? I like the idea of beavers being related to dragons. It just kind of works for me. And remember the bipedal beavers living on the moon who discovered fire in that original fake news story “the great moon hoaxe” of 1835,
Researchers had previously observed iron in the enamel of other animals, including beavers, shrews, some fish and salamanders, but it had never been reported in a carnivorous reptile. Its function in these animals has also remained elusive, but the new findings support the idea that the iron could strengthen their teeth.
Yeah, all the best animals have orange teeth. It’s true.