What happens if a person is bitten by a Komodo dragon?

In fact, not only animals, but also humans are sometimes the target of Komodo dragons. According to statistics, from 2010 to now, 12 people have been attacked, and once they miss the best chance for treatment, they can only wait for the poison to spread and die.

The Komodo dragon, which lives on three small islands in Indonesia, is the largest living lizard on Earth. When fully grown, it can grow up to 3 meters long, weigh nearly 100 kg, and live up to 50 years. Its tail is about 1 meter long, its limbs are thicker than a human's, and its head is the size of a soccer ball. A carnivore, the Komodo dragon has a 30 cm long tongue and 60 sharp teeth that are nearly 2.8 cm long.

The ancestors of the Komodo dragon were "ancient lizards" 4 million years ago, this ancient lizard lived in South Australia, with a body length of up to 7 meters and weighing up to 1,200 kg, a giant in the true sense of the word.

They mainly eat wild boars and buffaloes, and also like to sneak attack, and often lie in ambush in the grass. Once a wild boar appears in front of them, they will rush forward, knock it down, and bite it to death with their huge mouths filled with poison. They will hold the wild boar's neck until it is completely dead before letting go. The whole process takes less than 3 minutes, which is enough to show how powerful the Komodo dragon really is.

It is worth mentioning that Komodo dragons are not picky eaters, they often eat carrion, sometimes diving into the water to hunt large fish. And their food intake is also amazing, they can eat an amount of food equivalent to 80% of their body weight in one meal, so they do not need to eat often and can sustain their lives by eating only 12 times a year.

Although they are not as large as ancient lizards, they can grow up to about 3 meters long and their growth cycle is very long, they do not stop growing for the first 25 years of their life and the strength of Komodo dragons is also very great.

Komodo dragons are the largest venomous animals in the world, their venom is extremely dangerous, it is said that the lethality can be equal to that of cobras, so what happens if humans are bitten by them?

1. The venom in the Komodo dragon's mouth is extremely dangerous.

The most frightening thing about Komodo dragons is that they can secrete an extremely dangerous venom . They have two venom glands in their jaws. This venom contains many types of toxic proteins. Once it enters the animal's body, it will cause blood clotting, difficulty breathing, and eventually unconsciousness.

The amazing thing is that their limbs are extremely strong, they can easily hold an adult buffalo when hunting, and their fighting power is extremely strong.

The most terrifying thing is that the venom of Komodo dragons is highly diffusive . Simply put, once they bite their prey, the venom will quickly penetrate the entire body of the prey, causing the prey to die directly in a short time.

Zoologists have found that the Komodo dragon's toxicity is still very strong, 4 mg can disable a human, 30 mg can easily kill a buffalo, and all the venom stored in their bodies can even kill 40 animals at once.

2. Komodo dragon saliva contains a lot of bacteria

Some wild animals have very good resistance to poison, such as wild boars, even if bitten by poisonous snakes, they will not die, so how do Komodo dragons deal with wild boars? The answer is saliva in their mouths . Because Komodo dragons never clean their mouths and often eat carrion, their saliva contains a lot of bacteria , which is also their most dangerous weapon.

Komodo dragons may look bulky, but they actually run very fast, reaching speeds of up to 30 km/h. Furthermore, their movements are very fast, their limbs are also very flexible, and when hunting they can move quickly.

Because bacteria can infect the prey's wound, even if the prey is not poisoned - it will die of sepsis. In addition, according to zoologists' speculation, on the island where Komodo dragons live, there are many medium-sized water holes, in these water holes also contain deadly bacteria, once an animal bitten by a Komodo dragon passes through here, it will definitely cause severe infection.

Therefore, under the double infection of bacteria , any prey cannot escape. But fortunately, the wound caused by Komodo dragons is very large, easier to clean than the wound caused by venomous snake bites, so if humans are bitten, if first aid is given immediately, it will not be life-threatening.

3. Komodo dragon bites can be painful like a knife stab.

In addition to venom and bacteria in the mouth, Komodo dragons also have a secret weapon: their serrated teeth. Although their bite force is not high, these teeth are very sharp, 2.8 cm long and shaped like a hook. Once bitten, they will even leave marks on the bones and cause a fatal blow to the prey.

It is said that young Komodo dragons can stand on their hind legs, but they are too heavy to stand as adults.

The most frightening thing is that the Komodo dragon also has a very strong bite , can easily tear the skin of its prey, and because its teeth are uneven, it also causes severe pain to its prey. It can also cause bleeding wounds, slowing down the movement of its prey and eventually becoming food for the Komodo dragon. It is worth mentioning that the teeth of the Komodo dragon will be replaced regularly without worrying about wear and tear, so many zoologists call them "land sharks".

In addition, according to the description of people who have been bitten by Komodo dragons: At first the bite does not hurt, just a numbing feeling, but then it gradually starts to hurt and the body will be completely unable to bear it, if one does not have a strong will, one will probably faint from the pain.