Dragon's Tongue Flick

Komodo dragon at Sydney zoo, his tongue came out so fast and unexpected ! You can also see bit of saliva coming out of his mouth. ... more

by Miroslava Jurcik

Title

Dragon's Tongue Flick

Artist

Miroslava Jurcik

Medium

Photograph

Description

Komodo dragon at Sydney zoo, his tongue came out so fast and unexpected ! You can also see bit of saliva coming out of his mouth.
As a result of their size, these lizards dominate the ecosystems in which they live.
Fossils very similar to V. komodoensis have been found in Australia dating to greater than 3.8 million years ago.
Research in 2013 suggested that the bacteria in the mouths of Komodo dragons are ordinary and similar to those found in other carnivores. They actually have surprisingly good mouth hygiene. As Bryan Fry put it: "After they are done feeding, they will spend 10 to 15 minutes lip-licking and rubbing their head in the leaves to clean their mouth... Unlike people have been led to believe, they do not have chunks of rotting flesh from their meals on their teeth, cultivating bacteria." The observation of prey dying of sepsis would then be explained by the natural instinct of water buffalos, who are not native to the islands where the Komodo dragon lives, to run into water when attacked. The warm, faeces-filled water would then cause the infections.
In 2009 Melbourne University published further evidence demonstrating Komodo dragons possess a venomous bite.

Uploaded

April 8th, 2016