Komodo dragon teeth get their strength from an iron coat

Komodo dragon teeth are ironclad. Literally.

The serrated edges and tips of nan reptiles’ razor-sharp chompers are lined pinch a furniture of iron, researchers study July 24 successful Nature Ecology & Evolution. This metallic coating whitethorn reenforce each tooth, helping Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) safely tear done nan soma of cervid aliases h2o buffalo. 

Iron teeth aren’t unsocial to these reptiles — beaver teeth get their toughness from iron-infused enamel, says paleontologist Aaron LeBlanc of King’s College London. But successful Komodo dragons, nan robust is piped connected apical of nan enamel, “sort of for illustration icing connected a cake,” he says.

LeBlanc and colleagues had group retired to uncover what made nan teeth of meat-eating dinosaurs bully astatine cutting and utilized Komodo dragons arsenic a modern comparison. The type is nan biggest surviving reptile successful nan world and has small, blade-shaped teeth. Under nan microscope, nan squad noticed orangish stains connected nan tips and serrated edges of bony specimens.

A bladed furniture of iron, seen successful this close-up image, turns nan serrated separator of Komodo dragon teeth orange.A.R.H. LeBlanc et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution 2024A bladed furniture of iron, seen successful this close-up image, turns nan serrated separator of Komodo dragon teeth orange.A.R.H. LeBlanc et al./Nature Ecology & Evolution 2024

Chemical and structural imaging revealed that nan tinge was really a furniture of iron. The teeth of different modern reptiles, including immoderate different show lizards arsenic good arsenic crocodiles and alligators, person nary visible signs of robust — though immoderate type person a bladed furniture on nan cutting edge, nan team’s study found. The trait whitethorn beryllium wide among modern meat-eating reptiles, that uncovering suggests.

As for long-gone carnivorous dinosaurs, it’s unclear whether their crisp bony edges ever had an robust shield. “Iron is virtually nan worst constituent to look astatine successful a fossilized dinosaur tooth,” LeBlanc says. “It’s conscionable everywhere.… If you hide a dinosaur bony underground for tens of millions of years, robust is going to seep into each small spot of that bony tissue.” The squad hopes studying nan Komodo dragon’s robust coatings successful much item could thief reply nan question.