Komodo Dragons: Bite is now MUCH worse than Bark

Well, it's been an interesting couple of days for mainstream science stories, I must say. I'll get into my band trip later, but for now I thought I'd share this interesting tidbit with you:

For quite some time, it has been assumed/widely believed that the world's largest lizard, the Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) had a rather interesting way of subduing it's prey. Due to their occasional scavenger habits and oral conditions, Komodos maintain a very high concentration of bacteria in their mouths. Thusly, a hunting dragon could presumably bite it's prey, using it's serrated teeth to bite deeply in. From there--even if the prey escaped--the attacked animal would develop infections, leading ultimately to death, wereupon the dragon (having trakced it's prey using it's keen senses) would then claim it safely post-mortem.

As of late, however, this model of hunting has been challenged by new findings. Bryan Fry, a biologist at the University of Melbourne, ran MRI scans on a recently deceased Komodo Dragon skull, and it revealed something interesting: Venom glands in the jaws, secreting proteins via a small opening in the teeth. This discovery allows for some very intriguing new conclusions regarding how a Komodo Dragon feeds. Now, instead of having to rely on long-term infection or it's relatively weak jaws, the lizard can use a conjunction of two proteins in the venom to bring down prey. One protein drops blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels; while the other reduces blod clotting in the bloodstream. The result is a much higher propensity for the animal being fed upon to bleed (perhaps to death), and quickly. This remarkable adaptation makes for a very interesting new explanation for how these giants hunt.

It also marks somewhat of an interesting new angle for a herpetological view of the lizards. Before these glands were discovered, the only known venemous lizards were members of the Gila Monster family, and can "chew" venom into their prey. Now, the Komodo dragon marks the first known venemous member of the Varanid group, which inclides monitor lizards such as Australia's perentie.

It is important to note that these findings are not set in stone, and may change as investigation progresses. Though the writing above is my own, the sources I used information from are here:

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=dragons-bite-bloodier-than-believed-09-05-20

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/19/science/19komo.html?ref=global-home