Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles

TY - JOUR

T1 - Iron-coated Komodo dragon teeth and the complex dental enamel of carnivorous reptiles

AU - LeBlanc, Aaron

AU - Morrell, Alexander

AU - Sirovica, Slobodan

AU - Al-Jawad, Maisoon

AU - Labonte, David

AU - D'Amore, Domenic

AU - Clemente, Christofer

AU - Wang, Siyang

AU - Giuliani, Finn

AU - McGilvery, Catriona

AU - Pittman, Michael

AU - Kaye, Thomas

AU - Stevenson, Colin

AU - Capon, Joe

AU - Tapley, Benjamin

AU - Spiro, Simon

AU - Addison, Owen

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2024.

PY - 2024/7/24

Y1 - 2024/7/24

N2 - Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the largest extant predatory lizards and their ziphodont (serrated, curved and blade-shaped) teeth make them valuable analogues for studying tooth structure, function and comparing with extinct ziphodont taxa, such as theropod dinosaurs. Like other ziphodont reptiles, V. komodoensis teeth possess only a thin coating of enamel that is nevertheless able to cope with the demands of their puncture–pull feeding. Using advanced chemical and structural imaging, we reveal that V. komodoensis teeth possess a unique adaptation for maintaining their cutting edges: orange, iron-enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips. Comparisons with other extant varanids and crocodylians revealed that iron sequestration is probably widespread in reptile enamels but it is most striking in V. komodoensis and closely related ziphodont species, suggesting a crucial role in supporting serrated teeth. Unfortunately, fossilization confounds our ability to consistently detect similar iron coatings in fossil teeth, including those of ziphodont dinosaurs. However, unlike V. komodoensis, some theropods possessed specialized enamel along their tooth serrations, resembling the wavy enamel found in herbivorous hadrosaurid dinosaurs. These discoveries illustrate unexpected and disparate specializations for maintaining ziphodont teeth in predatory reptiles.

AB - Komodo dragons (Varanus komodoensis) are the largest extant predatory lizards and their ziphodont (serrated, curved and blade-shaped) teeth make them valuable analogues for studying tooth structure, function and comparing with extinct ziphodont taxa, such as theropod dinosaurs. Like other ziphodont reptiles, V. komodoensis teeth possess only a thin coating of enamel that is nevertheless able to cope with the demands of their puncture–pull feeding. Using advanced chemical and structural imaging, we reveal that V. komodoensis teeth possess a unique adaptation for maintaining their cutting edges: orange, iron-enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips. Comparisons with other extant varanids and crocodylians revealed that iron sequestration is probably widespread in reptile enamels but it is most striking in V. komodoensis and closely related ziphodont species, suggesting a crucial role in supporting serrated teeth. Unfortunately, fossilization confounds our ability to consistently detect similar iron coatings in fossil teeth, including those of ziphodont dinosaurs. However, unlike V. komodoensis, some theropods possessed specialized enamel along their tooth serrations, resembling the wavy enamel found in herbivorous hadrosaurid dinosaurs. These discoveries illustrate unexpected and disparate specializations for maintaining ziphodont teeth in predatory reptiles.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85199434204&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41559-024-02477-7

DO - 10.1038/s41559-024-02477-7

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85199434204

SN - 2397-334X

VL - 8

SP - 1711

EP - 1722

JO - Nature Ecology and Evolution

JF - Nature Ecology and Evolution

IS - 9

ER -