re: Let's talk about the komodo dragon for a minute

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i remember when the crocodile hunter was on komodo island, and he cut his leg on a twig

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I'd imagine the komodo is a holdover from prehistoric times and was neither big nor fast enough to hold it's own. A patient and unrelenting carrion type.

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: Bite the prey somewhere on the body and inject venom

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In late 2005, researchers at the University of Melbourne speculated the perentie (Varanus giganteus), other species of monitors, and agamids may be somewhat venomous. The team believes the immediate effects of bites from these lizards were caused by mild envenomation. Bites on human digits by a lace monitor (V. varius), a Komodo dragon, and a spotted tree monitor (V. scalaris) all produced similar effects: rapid swelling, localized disruption of blood clotting, and shooting pain up to the elbow, with some symptoms lasting for several hours.[38]

In 2009, the same researchers published further evidence demonstrating Komodo dragons possess a venomous bite. MRI scans of a preserved skull showed the presence of two glands in the lower jaw. The researchers extracted one of these glands from the head of a terminally ill specimen in the Singapore Zoological Gardens, and found it secreted several different toxic proteins. The known functions of these proteins include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering of blood pressure, muscle paralysis, and the induction of hypothermia, leading to shock and loss of consciousness in envenomated prey.[39][40] As a result of the discovery, the previous theory that bacteria were responsible for the deaths of Komodo victims was disputed.[41]

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