Komodo dragons have teeth covered in orange iron.

Komodo dragonVaranus commodunsisIt is characterized by its teeth, which are reinforced with an iron covering to protect its teeth and act as a barrier against digestive acids.

This animal is The largest living Tyrian It has strong, sturdy limbs and a tail that can reach a length of 4 meters Its weight ranges between 120 and 150 kg.

Juveniles are green with yellow and black stripes, while adults are uniform in colour.

In addition, its prey includes: Large animalsincluding deer, pigs, and water buffalo.

In new Stadypublished on Wednesday in Nature and Evolution EnvironmentScientists used high energy x-rays In synchrotron installation for examining tooth surfaces V. commodonesis Identify the different elements found throughout the tooth.

according to new worldInitially, the study authors noted, Orange gears But they thought they were just spots.

Only after visiting collections and museums and observing all the teeth in the skulls of many of these reptiles did they realize that they were facing an adaptation.

“When we mapped parts of the animal’s teeth, we realized that iron was concentrated along the cutting edges and tips of the teeth, but not in other parts of the teeth,” highlights the study’s first author, Aaron LeBlanc.

“This also matches perfectly with the orange colour we can see on teeth under a microscope,” the researcher highlights.

Along the teeth there is only enamel. Thickness 20 micrometersabout a quarter the thickness of a human hair.

Iron layer on teeth Varanus commodunsis Coated over this thin layer of enamel. Iron gives the enamel extra strength. Gear protection During swallowing of prey and also acts as a Barrier against digestive juices and acids.

Researchers have also looked for iron caps on fossil dinosaur teeth, but to no avail. This may be due to the fact that fossilization has destroyed the iron signal, so more preserved dinosaur teeth will need to be examined to find out for sure.

Ultimately, the team hopes that nature will be used as inspiration for New enamel coatings Perhaps one of them is inspired by Komodo dragons.