Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/07/25/komodo-dragons-teeth-are-so-metal.html
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From Gail Sherman…
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Funny, I had just been thinking about that iron-armored snail* and wondering if there were other organisms that incorporate iron or other metals into their shells/bone/teeth and if the metal provides structural benefits beyond what could be achieved without it (given how tough bone and shell and teeth can be). Although it may not (just) be about the material properties - sounds like the snail’s scales are also about removing sulfur compounds from the body.
*The scaly-foot snail, that is:
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There’s this stuff called “bog iron,” also known as limonite in its fossilized form, that is formed in, well, bogs (and marshes, swamps, etc.) by the bacteria Thiobacillus ferrooxidans and Thiobacillus thiooxidans. They’re essentially iron oxide bioconcentrators.
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Obviously any kind of bite can infect. But my understanding was the idea that komodo dragons carried infectious bacteria to subdue their prey was what people thought before it was realized they were venomous, and their oral flora are not really any worse than other animals. 
Beaver teeth are orange what with the iron, like
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