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Komodo Dragons Kill With Venom, Researchers Find

news.nationalgeographic.com — The find dispels the common belief that toxic bacteria in the Komodos' mouths are responsible for ultimately killing the dragons' prey.

Who dugg this? Made popular May 19, 2009

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  • Subduction, on 05/19/2009, -0/+18set of lunging, swirling attacks, both beautiful and deadly, until they and their prey collapse, spent, in a dance of death replayed under every sunrise since the footfall of dinosaurs shook the earth.
  • NikoKun, on 05/19/2009, -1/+18Really? It took them this long to figure that out?
    I always thought it was odd that they claimed "bacteria" would be a quick enough method to be used as a predatory attack.
  • chicagojack, on 05/19/2009, -0/+15I kill dragons with swords
  • MasonZombie, on 05/19/2009, -0/+15I always thought we already knew this.
  • orlyfactor, on 05/19/2009, -0/+11And here I thought they killed with fire. Learn something new every day.
  • had3l, on 05/19/2009, -0/+10Good, now that we know we can cleanse the poison all we need to do is stay away from the tail sweep, keep DOTs up and he should go down before next Tuesday's reset.
  • bicyclethief, on 05/19/2009, -0/+10KILL IT WITH ANTIBACTERIAL HANDRUB
  • Dinosquid, on 05/19/2009, -1/+11"While his colleagues expressed surprise at the findings, Fry said he wasn't so shocked."

    Nobody likes a know-it-all, Fry. Give it a rest.
  • RealmDown, on 05/19/2009, -0/+10Way,
  • pukiman, on 05/19/2009, -1/+9You got to stop chasing the dragon, dude.
  • Satanael, on 05/19/2009, -0/+7Manner
  • inactive, on 05/19/2009, -2/+9Queue to the Digg armchair experts that knew it all along, or always found it suspicious.
  • Swigeon, on 05/19/2009, -0/+5Reptiles this large, fast and vicious should not have the added benefit of venom too. Damn you mother nature!
  • roomforpanic, on 05/19/2009, -0/+5They were previously thought to have poisonous bacteria in their saliva, and that is what killed their prey. Now researchers have determined that they have venom glands that produce the poison.
  • n1eb, on 05/19/2009, -0/+5I'm kinda irked by this. Ever since I was a kid I had "known" about the deadly characteristics of dragon bacteria and how this was used to take down larger prey. Now we find that this isn't the case. Next thing you know science is going to tell us global warming is a lie.
  • rickpelletier, on 05/19/2009, -0/+5and jesus christ, stay out of the fire walls!
  • whiledo, on 05/19/2009, -0/+4Errr, "carrion" just means dead animals.
  • papastout, on 05/19/2009, -0/+4Wouldn't this be a "duh!" moment for Nat Geo?
  • inactive, on 05/19/2009, -0/+4This is actually old news. Dr Brian Grieg (http://www.venomdoc.com/) thinks there are 4,600(?) venomous reptiles - of which 1,500(?) are lizards. Question mark because it's been a while since I saw that documentary.
  • LordZeal, on 05/19/2009, -1/+4So that would bring the number of venomous lizards to 3 now?
  • yerlordnsaveyer, on 05/19/2009, -0/+3I accidentally it with venom
  • Hraes, on 05/19/2009, -0/+3But they're so pretty!
  • Hraes, on 05/19/2009, -0/+3Alligator doesn't really taste much like chicken, imho.
  • phqu88, on 05/19/2009, -0/+3Roomforpanic is right, the bacteria was said to come from the food they ate and the bacteria built up from it in their mouths. I believe the word is carion but spell check nor google can actually give me a proper spelling on it.
  • MrJagil, on 05/19/2009, -0/+2It is because it's Phillip J. Fry. He already knew this...
  • divinediva, on 05/19/2009, -2/+4These animals are fearsome, but they kill in a very straightforward.
  • mbtria, on 05/19/2009, -0/+2Wonder if this applies to T rex and its ilk as well, which has (fairly) recently been claimed to kill via wound infection?
  • OptionalPirate, on 05/19/2009, -0/+2That's a fifty DKP minus!
  • strad2, on 05/19/2009, -0/+2Yes, the forwards in their home terrain are very straight, giving the dragons a natural advantage. Bent forwards favor larger, more powerful carnivores - more reliant on brute force than venom.
  • kevincredible, on 05/19/2009, -0/+2WELPS! RIGHT SIDE!
  • inactive, on 05/19/2009, -2/+3A study in 2005 brought the number closer to 1500. Can't find the study, but it is mentioned at the bottom: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,209833,00.html

    Oh wait, it's Fox news. Nevermind!
  • Subduction, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1Yeah they kill with fire -- GUNFIRE, *****!
  • wastern, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1I did a report on them back in grade school. At that time the Britannica pretty much just said it would stop your blood from clotting. At least that was all I took away from it at the time.
  • inactive, on 05/19/2009, -1/+2I puff the dragon and swords with magical ability appears in my head.
  • nextekcarl, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1Which in turn tastes like human. Wait, how do I know that? :burp: Where Jimmy go?
  • NovaPrime9, on 05/19/2009, -1/+2FTFA: "In fact, Fry estimates that close to a hundred of the more than 5,000 known lizard species use venom."

    *Known*, though? Yeah, my count is three. Beaded, Gila, and now the dragons.
  • CoD4, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1VENOM FANG! VENOM FANG!
  • okpgreg, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1He says that iguanas are venomous too!??
  • thizzlebot, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1If they kill with Venom, should we spend Spider-man to stop him?
  • plainOldFool, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1gosh
  • AGONYTUESDAY, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1no *****. everyone knows that komodo dragons have 40+ toxins in their mouths
  • Angostura, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1Yes and now I have to tell my daughters that daddy's fascinating fact about komodo dragons was wrong wrong wrong.

    Five year olds. They are so unforgiving.

    It's a shame because the old story was a nice example of a symbiotic relationship - or at least a commensal one.
  • damnshoes, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1Turok hunts for Dinosaurs.
  • ethanpeirce, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1I bet Komodo dragon taste like alligator which in turn tastes like chicken.
  • TechEvil, on 05/19/2009, -1/+2me too, I thought I always saw things about them being extremely poisonous on discovery/animal planet.
  • Rudegar, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1damn that goes all my komodo dragon jokes! :S
  • BROKE2012, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1No ****!
  • Chremylus, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1closer to a pork chop really
  • MasonZombie, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_(film)
  • hardtoconfuse, on 05/19/2009, -0/+1I think crocodiles should get venom
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