Komodo Dragons Use Venom to Kill

By Jess Kilby,  Newser Staff
Posted May 19, 2009 3:40 AM CDT
Komodo Dragons Use Venom to Kill
Komodo dragons, native to several Indonesian islands, can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh as much as 110 pounds.   (©jonnyr1)

Australian scientists have discovered that the world’s largest lizard packs a lethal venom in its bite, the Guardian reports. MRI scans of an ailing Komodo dragon revealed venom glands in the mouth that had never before been documented. The dragons’ poison sends victims into shock by triggering a sudden drop in blood pressure, and also prevents blood from clotting—causing the prey to bleed to death.
(More Komodo dragon stories.)

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