---
title: "What the sources say about the Komodo Dragon | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "40 claims from the Komodo Dragon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/komodo-dragon/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Komodo Dragon (*Varanus komodoensis*)

> 40 claims from the Komodo Dragon profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Komodo Dragon](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/komodo-dragon/)

## Komodo Dragon. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/komodo-dragon

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The largest living lizard | the Komodo dragon wins the prize for being the largest living lizard in the world (note: tagline and vibe.reason) |
| armored in bone | have a rough, durable skin reinforced with osteoderms (bony plates), protecting them from injuries like scratches and bites |
| stalking prey across volcanic islands | The islands are volcanic in origin; they are rugged, hilly, and covered with both forest and savanna grassland. (note: vibe.reason; 'stalking' matches the Smithsonian's 'scavenging for carcasses or stalking animals') |
| Endangered | triggering a reclassification of the species from vulnerable to endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (note: stats.conservationStatus. The IUCN Red List page refuses automated reads; ADW's 2006 account still shows the old Vulnerable listing, which this 2021 reclassification supersedes.) |
| Volcanic savanna grassland and forest on six Indonesian islands | separated into eight subpopulations across just six islands: Flores, Gili Motang, Komodo, Nusa Kode, Padar, and Rinca ... The islands are volcanic in origin; they are rugged, hilly, and covered with both forest and savanna grassland. |
| The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest living lizard on Earth | the Komodo dragon wins the prize for being the largest living lizard in the world |
| Adults grow 6 to 10 feet long and weigh 154 to 300 pounds, and the heaviest one verified weighed 366 pounds | Length: 6–10 feet (1.8–3 m), with males larger than females; longest verified was 10.3 feet (3.13 m) Weight: 154–300 pounds (70–136 kg), with males heavier than females; heaviest verified was 366 pounds (166 kg) |
| Its skin is reinforced with bony plates called osteoderms, often compared to chain mail, which protect it from scratches and bites | have a rough, durable skin reinforced with osteoderms (bony plates), protecting them from injuries like scratches and bites (note: 'often compared to chain mail' is from sdzwa-library-characteristics: 'Covered by osteoderms Often compared to chain mail') |
| Komodo dragons have about 60 serrated teeth that look like shark teeth | Inside a Komodo dragon’s mouth are about 60 short, serrated teeth. ... A Komodo dragon’s teeth look like shark teeth |

## Komodo dragon. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| an armored apex reptile | These reptiles are tertiary predators at the top of their food chain |
| monkeys | If they live to be 5 years old, they move onto larger prey, such as rodents, monkeys, goats, wild boars and deer (the most popular meal). |
| Venom That Prevents Blood Clotting | Researchers have also documented a venom gland in the dragon's lower jaw. In addition to the harmful bacteria, the venom prevents the blood from clotting |
| that stop blood from clotting | the venom prevents the blood from clotting |
| A Komodo dragon can briefly run at speeds of up to 20 kilometers per hour (13 miles per hour) | Komodo dragons can briefly run at speeds of up to 13 mph (20 kph). |
| but its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. It can spend hours in one spot along a game trail, waiting for a deer or other sizable prey to cross its path before it attacks | its hunting strategy is based on stealth and power. It can spend hours in one spot along a game trail — waiting for a deer or other sizable and nutritious prey to cross its path — before launching an attack |

## Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) Fact Sheet: Physical Characteristics. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Library.

https://ielc.libguides.com/sdzg/factsheets/komododragon/characteristics

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| chainmail osteoderm armor | Skin Covered by osteoderms Often compared to chain mail (note: fact-sheet bullets; the page's 'armor' is SDZ's 'skin reinforced with osteoderms (bony plates), protecting them from injuries') |

## Varanus komodoensis. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Varanus_komodoensis/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Deer, wild boar, water buffalo, monkeys, goats, carrion, and smaller dragons | A normal adult Komodo dragon diet consists mainly of carrion, but it is not uncommon for them to attack and eat a variety of large prey, including goats, pigs, deer, wild boar, horses, water buffalo, and smaller Komodo dragons (note: a list with no ranking, so ADW's 'mainly' is not dropped from any claim) |

## Fry et al. (2009). A central role for venom in predation by Varanus komodoensis (Komodo Dragon) and the extinct giant Varanus (Megalania) priscus. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0810883106

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| anticoagulant venom | the effects of deep wounds inflicted are potentiated through venom with toxic activities including anticoagulation and shock induction |
| venomous shock-inducing glands | toxic activities including anticoagulation and shock induction |
| Contrary to the popular idea that Komodo dragons rely on dirty mouth bacteria | We reject the popular notion regarding toxic bacteria utilization. |
| A 2009 study by Bryan Fry and colleagues rejected that idea | We reject the popular notion regarding toxic bacteria utilization. (note: 2009 and first author from the reference metadata (Crossref, via audit:sources); Janeczek's reference list gives 'Fry BG, Wroe S, ... (2009) A central role for venom in predation by Varanus komodoensis') |
| It showed that venom makes the dragon's deep bite wounds worse, with toxic effects that include anticoagulation (stopping blood from clotting) and shock | we demonstrate that the effects of deep wounds inflicted are potentiated through venom with toxic activities including anticoagulation and shock induction |
| Their lightweight skull is better built to resist hard pulling than to bite hard | We find that the lightweight skull is relatively poorly adapted to generate high bite forces but better adapted to resist high pulling loads. |

## Janeczek et al. (2025). Histological and histochemical characterisation of the salivary glands of the palatine fold and the mandibular venom gland of the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis). Veterinary Research Communications.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-025-10825-6

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| they have many-lobed venom glands in their lower jaw | Mandibular venom gland Venom glands are made up of distinctly marked and very numerous individual lobes |
| The venom carries toxic proteins | The venom of the Komodo dragon is a mixture of many bioactive proteins. |
| cause a drop in blood pressure, which can send the victim into collapse and shock | venom causes a drop in blood pressure in the victim, which can cause collapse and shock |
| Until recently, it was believed that a Komodo dragon's bite killed through infection, and possibly sepsis (blood poisoning), caused by bacteria living in its mouth | Until recently, it was believed that the bite of a Komodo dragon caused a fatal infection and possibly sepsis, causing the death of the victim. The bacteria living in the Komodo dragon’s mouth were said to be responsible for this |
| The venom also causes a drop in blood pressure, which can cause collapse | venom causes a drop in blood pressure in the victim, which can cause collapse and shock |
| its AVIT toxins immobilize the victim with painful cramps | the victim is immobilized by hyperalgesic cramping AVIT toxins (note: 'painful' renders 'hyperalgesic' (pain-heightening)) |
| venom that works as an anticoagulant makes the bleeding heavier | Biting and penetration of venom into tissues and the circulatory system causes heavy bleeding, which is intensified by the anticoagulant effect of venom (PLA2 toxins). |

## D'Amore et al. (2011). The Effects of Biting and Pulling on the Forces Generated during Feeding in the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis). PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0026226

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| but a bite that is surprisingly low in force for their size | In vivo data confirm previous assertions that V. komodoensis has a jaw adductor generated bite force that is surprisingly low for its size. |
| When feeding, they jerk the head and neck backward, straighten their forelimbs or back-pedal | Repetitive cranial-caudal ‘rocking’ movement due to the straightening and bending of the forelimbs (witnessed by Burden [29] ), lateral shaking, sudden caudal ‘jerks’ of the head and neck, and/or back-pedaling pulled the carcass caudal |
| a study of captive dragons | In this study, bite force and pulling force is collected from captive V. |
| found their pull was much stronger than their bite | pulling strength, especially in the ventrocaudal direction, was much larger than biting. (note: 'much stronger than' renders 'much larger than' for a force) |
| The slashing bite causes major blood loss | As an ambush predator, it incorporates a slashing bite that causes major blood loss or evisceration |
| that strong pull may be critical to bringing down prey larger than themselves | The generation of proportionately high ventrocaudally oriented forces may be a critical contribution to the ability of V. komodoensis to bring down prey larger than itself. |

## LeBlanc et al. (2024). Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles. Nature Ecology & Evolution.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02477-7

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| iron-coated serrated teeth | we reveal that V. komodoensis teeth possess a unique adaptation for maintaining their cutting edges: orange, iron-enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips |
| Iron-reinforced serrated cutting teeth | The indentation hardness of these iron-enriched enamel regions ( x ¯ = 3.70 GPa) was slightly (9%) but significantly higher than that of underlying enamel (note: 'reinforced' rests on the measured hardness increase, not on the paper's hedged 'may serve' about wear resistance) |
| A 2024 study found that Komodo dragon teeth carry a microscopic iron-rich coating along their serrations and tips | This coating is found along the serrations and crown tips. ... every technique detected iron in the outer 1–2 µm of the enamel (note: 2024 is the reference's publication year; 'iron-rich' is the paper's 'iron-enriched layer coincides with the thin outer coating') |
| which may help the cutting edges resist wear between tooth replacements | iron sequestration may serve to make the outer enamel layers along the cutting edges more wear-resistant compared with other regions of the tooth ... This thin iron coating must therefore be enough to retain a sharp cutting edge on each tooth before it is replaced by a new generation |