The bite of the Komodo dragon is weaker than the ... domestic cat

The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, has a weaker bite than a cat, scientists revealed. Although known for its ability to kill much larger prey, Komodo dragons depend only on razor sharp teeth, healthy muscles and hollow frame skulls to conquer prey, recent research suggests. know.

Using a computer model, the team from Australia's University of New South Wales analyzed a Komodo specimen from the Australian Museum in Sydney. When measuring the force and texture of the skull, the team found the animal's jaws not designed to tear up prey.

" The bite is quite weak for such a large lizard - less than a medium-sized cat ," said Stephen Wroe, the study author. If a Komodo tries to rip its prey with its jaws, the crocodile will still do, " it will break its skull, " he said.

Komodo dragons can be up to 3 meters long and live only on Indonesian islands. There are about 4,000 to 5,000 remaining in the wild.

Komodo dragon is up to 3 meters long.(Photo: National Geographic)

Killing " open bottle " style

Although the jaw is weak and the skull is light, the lizard still has other features that make it a skilled carnivore. For example, they have optimized the structure of the skull and the arrangement of materials, creating a solid frame structure like that of a bridge.

Its skull has different densities. Some areas are made of porous bone, creating elasticity that helps it expand its mouth. This also creates leverage for sharp teeth. Therefore, when biting and pulling prey, it needs to use less force than when only biting without pulling.

Komodo dragons use its head like a bottle opener. It creates large wounds, and prey will die from blood loss. This method helps it to defeat much larger prey, including wild pigs, deer and buffaloes.