# komodo dragons have venom!



## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Scientists discover deadly secret of Komodo's bite
interesting eh?


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

yes they do... it has been know for quite a few years now, they just kinda bite their prey and let the bacteria do theri work and just stalk the animal until it collapses and they can feed.


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## ab1502 (Jun 27, 2007)

i believe the bacteria thing was dubbed false by this recent discovery.. they do in fact have venom ducts located behind their teeth, and when they bite they pull back a bit to let the venom ooze into the wound. The venom slows blood pressure, and induces shock creating a weak easy prey.


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## ggazonas (May 11, 2008)

great find. I always knew they thought that it was the bacteria, but didnt know they actually had venom sacks.

The zoo I am on the board for has a young komodo which is going to be on display in a couple of years, (haven't seen it yet) anyways point being is that I always thought they were harmless in captivity since they didn't eat rotting flesh but according to this article they have toxic venom sacks, which would make you think they are born this way that then they could potentially seriously injure someone. I wonder if they are dangerous in captivity or not.


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## Julio (Oct 8, 2007)

cool, now one of my favorite lizards is also venemous, guess i won't own that one either.


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Julio said:


> cool, now one of my favorite lizards is also venemous, *guess i won't own that one either.*


For at LEAST one reason . . . haha! Yes very cool!


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## Rich Conley (Jun 12, 2008)

ggazonas said:


> The zoo I am on the board for has a young komodo which is going to be on display in a couple of years, (haven't seen it yet) anyways point being is that I always thought they were harmless in captivity since they didn't eat rotting flesh but according to this article they have toxic venom sacks, which would make you think they are born this way that then they could potentially seriously injure someone. I wonder if they are dangerous in captivity or not.


Of course they're dangerous in captivity. They're 150lb predators. They need to be treated with respect.


That being said, they're pretty low key animals from what I hear about the one near me.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

I dont believe the finding counters the fact that the bacteria in their mouth can and often do cause blood poisoning that not only aid in killing the animal but also help the dragon track the animal though scent with its rotting sticking festering wound oozing out molecules  

...But its very cool that besides the huge size, sharp teeth/claws and multiple strains of highly dangerous bacteria in their mouth they also have actual venom...another notch on their "cool belt"

Dave


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

Rich Conley said:


> Of course they're dangerous in captivity. They're 150lb predators. They need to be treated with respect.
> 
> 
> That being said, they're pretty low key animals from what I hear about the one near me.


I imagine he was referring to perhaps more "casual" handling of say a 3-4ft individual under the guise that the only danger would be from lacerations from teeth and claws - now we know there exists the potential for all kinds of complications including allergic reactions to the venom . . .


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## MonarchzMan (Oct 23, 2006)

There was a study done recently (within the last couple years) that found that many more lizards are venomous than previously thought (including those in Varanidae, Agamidae, and Iguanidae). They're just not considered deadly to humans.


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## batrachiophyle (May 7, 2009)

awesome!! i had always believed in the septic shock poisoning deal, myself... i would imagine that it's a combination of the two elements.. both the dragon produced venom, and the mutualistic bacteria symbionts living inside the mouth. all very interesting stuff, either way! _V. komodoensis_ is actually responsible for a relatively substantial amount of human deaths per year.

another really interesting thing about _V. komodoensis_ is that from a covergent evolutionary angle.. their teeth are almost exact scaled replicas of Tyranasauridae teeth!!! [i know, so cool..] this, of course, also leading many paleozoologists to the postulate that T-rex may have actually used a similar methodology when hunting prey.. ie: the small crevices and serrations on the surface of the tooth harboring high counts of deadly bacteria... T-rex would make an initial ambush style bite, and slowly stalk the faltering sauropod, or whatever... but, that opens a whole other can of worms.

great thread!


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