The researchers found adaptations in Komodo dragon genes involved in coagulation that make these lizards immune from the venom anti-coagulant, protecting them from bleeding to death when attacked by another of their own species.
Both creatures are ambush predators, but the king cobra must rely on its venom to kill its enemy before it is attacked and killed. Usually, that works, but we must remember that the Komodo dragon also has very tough skin, and it might be difficult for a cobra to bite and envenomate the lizard.
No it is not, however they do not live in the same areas, and if they did, the Komodo's skin is pretty tough. The cobra may have a hard time biting through.
The monitor lizard, or goanna, does not have resistance to the red-bellied black snake's venom because it's armour-like scales protect it from being bitten. “You'd think that a goanna would be significantly resistant to the venom of any snake it was hunting and eating, but that isn't the case,” Fry says.
Researchers have also documented a venom gland in the dragon's lower jaw. In addition to the harmful bacteria, the venom prevents the blood from clotting, which causes massive blood loss and induces shock. The Komodo's bite may be deadly, but not to another Komodo dragon.
A lion would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Lions are larger and heavier and have something that the Komodo dragon lacks: the ability to kill their enemy with a single blow.
So far scientists fully understand venom resistance in only four mammals - mongooses, honey badgers, hedgehogs and pigs - as well as several snakes. The golden poison frog is one of the most toxic animals on Earth, deadly to almost all animals except one.
The hedgehog (Erinaceidae), the mongoose (Herpestidae), the honey badger (Mellivora capensis) and the opossum are known to be immune to a dose of snake venom.
Scientists have discovered that the humble blue-tongue lizard is largely resistant to the venom of the deadly red-bellied black snake, while giant carnivorous monitor lizards which feed on Australia's most venomous snakes are not.
Crocodiles are simply too large and too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fight back against. One likely outcome would be the crocodile waiting for the Komodo dragon in the water and dragging it beneath the waves to suffer a brutal death.
An adult anaconda would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. The Komodo dragon is a highly capable fighter, but it would not be able to deal fatal damage to the anaconda before it was grabbed and crushed. Anacondas can successfully attack crocodiles, creatures that can kill faster than a Komodo dragon.
There aren't many animals that can survive a Komodo attack. A human and another Komodo are pretty much the only ones. This endangered animal, down to about 4,000 in the wild, is at the top of the food chain in its habitat [source: Honolulu Zoo].
Tigers are far too large, fast, and powerful for a Komodo dragon to overcome. The tiger's claws might not cut as deeply into the lizard's flesh as they would a mammal, but their teeth would sink in far enough to deal serious damage or outright kill the Komodo dragon.
What Eats It? Adults are top predators but juvenile dragons are preyed upon by adult dragons, feral dogs, wild boars, civet cats and snakes. Komodo dragons are solitary animal except during breeding although groups of dragons may gather to feed at a kill.
An alligator would beat a Komodo dragon in a fight. The crushing power of an alligator's bite is too much for the smaller, lighter Komodo dragon to compete against. The alligator would probably wait for a Komodo dragon to come to the water's edge before striking.
Mongooses, which have some resistance to mamba venom and are often quick enough to evade a bite, will sometimes harass or take a black mamba for prey, and may pursue them in trees. The similarly predatory honey badger also has some resistance to mamba venom.
We have noted at Walkabout Park that most kangaroos bitten by snakes are hand-raised kangaroos. We have seen a disproportionately larger number of hand-raised kangaroos bitten, relative to wild raised kangaroos.
The speed and venom resistance that mongooses have allows them to feed on the world's deadliest snakes. The mongoose is probably the most famous of all the venom-resistant animals on our list.
Antivenom (often spelled “antivenin”) is an antibody product that can disable a particular venom's toxins. If injected quickly after a bite or sting, the antibodies in antivenom neutralize the venom, potentially saving the victim's life or limb.
Anti-venom is most often made from sheep's blood. The sheep swelled for about 2 days but the blood of the lamb destroyed the venom of the serpent.
The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is considered the most venomous snake in the world with a murine LD 50 value of 0.025 mg/kg SC. Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 list a value of 0.01 mg/kg SC, which makes it the most venomous snake in the world in their study too. They have an average venom yield of 44 mg.
A silverback gorilla is much too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fend off. A gorilla would beat a Komodo dragon in a fight. Many people believe that Komodo dragons are venomous. While that is true in a sense, they don't have a venom that will paralyze and knock out their prey.
A bear would beat a Komodo dragon in a fight, but it might get bloody. The problem that Komodo dragons face is that they are very short compared to a bear. For example, if a Komodo dragon approached a grizzly bear, the bear would stand on its legs to appear bigger and scare it away.