#komodo dragon

happyheidi:

if u could have any animal in the world as a pet, and it would work out no matter it’s size, needs etc, which would it be?

alionessespride:

the-awkward-turt:

wheremyscalesslither:

The zoo i worked at is getting a komodo dragon and Ive never been more compelled to start volunteering there again just so i can tell anyone and everyone that theyre venomous- that the “they have dangerous bacteria” fact is untrue. You’d only find me in front of the komodo dragon habitat, yelling “THEY HAVE VENOM GLANDS” at everyone, even if they didnt ask.

Small child: *points at dragon* what is their name?

Me: *grabs child by the shoulders* THEYRE VENOMOUS YOU HEAR? DONT LET ANYONE TELL YOU THEY HAVE BACTERIA IN THEIR MOUTH. PROTECT YOUR INNOCENCE!

Just kidding. I would never volunteer there.

@wheremyscalesslither Interestingly, this topic is actually still somewhat up for debate.

I’m doing my Master’s thesis on Komodo dragon feeding regimes in human care so I’ve read A Lot of scientific literature on dragons recently. To give a brief synopsis of the issue:

Dragons do have venom glands (as do pretty much all monitor lizards, as well as many other lizards), but we don’t have a super clear picture of the toxicity and function of said venom. Prey capture isn’t always the primary function of venom, it’s possible that for a lot of lizards their “venom” (in quotations because exactly which species should be defined as “venomous” is very much a Spicy scientific topic) is used to aid digestion, defend against predators, or produce antimicrobial effects in their mouths more than anything else.

Bryan Fry has gotten a lot of attention for putting forward the idea that dragons rely heavily on a venomous bite to hunt at the exclusion of any possible bacterial or mechanical (ex. their sharp, ripping bite causing prey to weaken simply due to blood loss) strategy. However, Fry has been criticized for merely changing the definition of “venom” in order to classify additional species as “venomous” so I would really like to see studies from other scientists corroborating this view (particularly scientists who are less inclined to err on the side of “venom as an explanation for everything”) before the issue can be put to rest.

Additionally, Komodo dragons lack any kinds of grooves or canals in their teeth (they don’t even have specialized teeth associated with their venom glands at all), which are usually associated with animals for which venom delivery is a major goal of their bites.

Both Komodo dragon venom and Komodo dragon saliva will produce deadly effects when injected into mice. While there isn’t necessarily any special bacteria in dragon mouths that is unique to them as a species and they definitely do have venom glands, it’s still definitely possible that bacteria plays a role in their prey capture strategy.

It’s also possible that neither venom nor bacteria plays a significant role in prey capture for them and they rely entirely on causing shock and blood loss via traumatic bites from extremely sharp teeth. Several case studies of Komodo dragon bites to humans have found no apparent venom effects nor any bacterial effects beyond the usual excessive bleeding and bacterial issues that typically come with an animal bite.

TLDR: Komodo dragons do have venom glands, but whether they use their venom for prey capture and can truly be considered “venomous” is still up for debate. They do definitely have dangerous bacteria in their mouth (though it’s not an special or unique kind of bacteria) that can cause sepsis, but it’s also up for debate whether this plays a role in prey capture. It could be one or the other, it could be both, or it could be neither. More science needed.

I actually had Brian Fry as a lecturer in my undergrad zoology course (the man is fucking WILD and legit my favourite lecturer ever)

He spoke about the jaw design of Komodo Dragons - that the venom is released when they bite down as the jaw flexes with the bite (this is vague cause this class was last year).

I think the venom was related to blood clotting factors, but again, this was last year and only a couple of lectures.

I probably have some notes tucked away somewhere if anyone wants me to pull them out? (along with his autobiography? Which he just? Gave us all as a PDF??)

Giving out his autobiography as a PDF definitely sounds very on-brand based on what I know about Brian Fry (though I haven’t gotten a chance to read said autobiography yet).

I would actually love to see the notes from his lecture if you don’t mind. The note about jaw flexing being part of the venom release mechanism is interesting as I don’t think that detail is included in his papers on the subject.

Here’s a sticker commission I recently did based on a scene from my friend’s d&d game!