information:extraction
Dentition

Komodo dragons have ziphodont teeth, which are defined as teeth that are laterally flattened, recurved, and with serrated tooth crowns where the serrations have a dentine core and a very thin enamel outer layer. This is the same type of dentition observed in many extinct theropod dinosaurs. The teeth of the insectivorous juveniles in contrast are barely recurved, with fewer and less well-developed serrations that lack dentine cores.

A 2024 study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution found that Komodo dragons have orange, iron -enriched coatings on their tooth serrations and tips, as an adaptation for maintaining the sharp cutting edges. This feature is also observed to a lesser degree in a few other Australasian to Asian monitor species, though notably absent in a few other species from that range.

Teeth are quickly replaced every 40 days, while maintaining up to 5 replacement teeth for each tooth position at any given time. This high rate of replacement and large number of replacement teeth is similar to that of the crocodile monitor. Many other monitor species as well as Chinese crocodile lizards and beaded lizards only have 1-2 replacement teeth behind each tooth position.