Venomous Komodo Monitor
New research suggests the Komodo monitor uses venom, not bacteria, to subdue prey.




A new study suggests that the effectiveness of the Komodo monitor’s bite is a combination of highly specialized serrated teeth and venom. The new research also dismisses the widely accepted theory that prey die from septicemia caused by toxic bacteria living in the monitor’s mouth.

Using medical imaging techniques, an international team led by Dr. Bryan Fry from the University of Melbourne, suggests that the Komodo monitor (Varanus komodoensis) has the most complex venom glands yet described for any reptile, and that its close extinct relative Megala...