Reading a Dragon: Skull, Teeth and Genes: teacher key

Komodo Dragons, grade 10 edition, written for 10th grade. See how researchers study the Komodo dragon with computer models, tooth chemistry and whole genome sequencing.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What kind of number is the 39 newtons bite force?
   • A model estimate (answer)
   • A direct measurement
   • A guess
2. What gives Komodo dragon teeth orange coatings?
   • Gold
   • Iron (answer)
   • Paint
3. How many Komodo dragons were sequenced?
   • 240
   • 4
   • 24 (answer)
4. Why does a shortage of females matter for the genes of a group?
   • It has led to evidence of inbreeding (answer)
   • It makes eggs larger
   • It makes dragons faster
5. What does genomes mean here?
   • Small islands
   • Full gene sets (answer)
   • Bite marks

Words

• newtons: units of force
• genomes: full gene sets
• serrations: tiny notches
• inbreeding: mating of relatives