Komodo dragons having filthy saliva that causes deadly infections is a myth. In actual fact they have venomous saliva, which functions as an anti-coagulant (w

Komodo dragons having filthy saliva that causes deadly infections is a myth. In actual fact they have venomous saliva, which functions as an anti-coagulant (whether it counts as a venom seems to be disputed, but the anti-coagulant properties of the saliva one way or the other seem to be established fact.) They kill by inflicting massive bleeding[1][2]. Related to the bacteria/saliva myth are misconceptions on how they hunt. They often eat their prey alive in a very brutal manner[3], rather than biting them once then hanging back for their prey to die. They also have exceptional endurance by reptile standards. Crocodilians are known for very rapid burst speed, but monitor lizards and particularly Komodo dragons can chase prey at very high speeds for much longer than you'd expect[4]. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon#Saliva https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komodo_dragon#Saliva [2] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/06/27/the-myth-of-the-komodo-dragons-dirty-mouth/ https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/phenomena/2013/06... [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrg9hYjW8ts https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrg9hYjW8ts [4] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O16-IrBIscI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O16-IrBIscI