Komodo Dragons Kill With Venom, Researchers Find

[muriel_volestrangler]

Komodo dragons kill using a one-two punch of sharp teeth and a venomous bite, scientists have confirmed for the first time.
...
Researchers have long thought that the Komodo dragon, native to Indonesia, kills via blood poisoning caused by the multiple strains of bacteria in the dragon's saliva.
...
The team found that the dragon's venom rapidly decreases blood pressure, expedites blood loss, and sends a victim into shock, rendering it too weak to fight.

In the venom, some compounds that reduce blood pressure are as potent as those found in the word's most venomous snake, western Australia's inland Taipan.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090518-komodo-dragon-venom.html

[cboy4]

1. Wow! Thanks for posting. This is fascinating news indeed.

And to think everyone from the Croc Hunter to others thought it was the toxic saliva that was the weapon.

[skepticscott]

4. Although in truth

the venom from snakes and other similar creatures really is just toxic saliva, though toxic in a different way than it had been imagined the Komodo dragon was. We ourselves have enzymes in our saliva that start to break down food as soon as we bite into it, though we've never evolved this trait beyond a rudimentary stage.

[Lasher]

2. Gosh, how did we go so long thinking Komodos were not venomous?

I've seen several documentaries over the years where it was claimed they were not, that their nasty infectuous saliva did the trick.

[skepticscott]

3. Maybe because

most people would rather milk a rattlesnake of its venom than a Komodo monitor...yikes!

[exboyfil]

5. I wonder how much different the venom is than the Gila Monster

or the Beaded Lizard, the only two known lizards with venom before now.

A great B flick "The Giant Gila Monster" which is actually a Beaded Lizard.

Do other monitors have venom now that we know what to look for?

[xchrom]

6. very cool. nt

[centristgrandpa]

7. interestingly scary...

It is so amazing how the evolutionary process gives it's owner the ability to bite once and wait..Protectism is so apparent for survival.

[GaYellowDawg]

8. Rapid decrease of blood pressure?

I wonder how that works, and if it could have some kind of application towards treating hypertension.