31/07/2025
What an interesting read! Go check this out! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
𝐎𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 - 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐦𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬
🦎 In a global study, scientists discovered osteoderms (bony structures found in the skin) in 29 species of monitor lizards, which significantly expanded our knowledge of reptile evolution.
👉Published on July 21 in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, the study is the first comprehensive global analysis of osteoderms in lizards and snakes. The study was conducted by an international team of scientists from Australia, Europe, and the United States. Using advanced micro-CT scanning technology, the researchers examined nearly 2,000 reptile specimens from major museum collections, including the Research Institute of the Museum of Victoria.
🕵 Osteoderms are typically associated with animals like crocodiles, armadillos, and certain dinosaurs such as Stegosaurus. The study significantly expands our knowledge of these bone structures. Researchers have discovered that osteoderms are present in almost half of all lizard species worldwide, which represents an 85% increase over previous estimates.
👩🔬 What is important about this discovery is that it changes our current understanding of reptile evolution. It suggests that osteoderms may have evolved in response to environmental pressures as lizards adapted to the harsh conditions of Australia. Until now, the presence of osteoderms in monitor lizards was considered rare and occurred mainly in Komodo dragons.
🦎 This groundbreaking study not only opens a new chapter in the history of Australian monitor lizards, but also provides a powerful new dataset that will allow us to explore how skin, body structure, and survival have been linked over millions of years of evolution.
👉 If you want more information, I encourage you to read the references:
Roy Ebel, Chris Broeckhoven, Edward L Stanley, Till Ramm, J Scott Keogh, Dermal armour in lizards: osteoderms more common than presumed, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 204, Issue 3, July 2025, zlaf070
PHOTO: Rosenberg goanna (Varanus rosenbergi WAM R95408) with osteoderms and endoskeleton revealed in the left half. Credit: Roy Ebel
