Are Monitor lizards modern dinosaurs? Scientists discover they share a hidden bone structure with the extinct species!
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Using technological advances like micro-CT scanning, researchers can now revisit old specimens and find out secrets hidden beneath the surface, without damaging the samples. These breakthroughs allow us to find connections across time, between the creatures that walked the earth millions of years ago to animals still living today.
One among these is an area of recent study involving osteoderms, which are small bony plates located under the skin.
While this is commonly associated with dinosaurs, armadillos, and crocodiles, new research shows they may be much more widespread in today's reptiles than anyone previously thought.
Monitor Lizards share an ancient bone structure with Dinosaurs
Scientists have found that monitor lizards, known as goannas in Australia, have hidden bone structures called osteoderms beneath their skin. Surprisingly, it is a feature they share with prehistoric creatures like the Stegosaurus.
This research, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, represents the first large-scale study of osteoderms in lizards and snakes. The team scanned over 2,000 reptile specimens using high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), according to Museums Victoria.
'We were astonished to find osteoderms in 29 Australo-Papuan monitor lizard species that had never been documented before,' said Roy Ebel, lead author of the study and researcher at Museums Victoria Research Institute and the Australian National University.
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'It's a fivefold increase in known cases among goannas,' he added in a press release.
What are Osteoderms
Osteoderms are well-known bone structures in animals like armadillos, crocodiles, and dinosaurs, including the iconic Stegosaurus. Their purpose isn't completely understood, but researchers believe they provide protection, help regulate body temperature, store calcium, and may even support movement.
Jane Melville, Senior Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates at Museums Victoria Research Institute, explained the bigger picture, 'What's so exciting about this finding is that it reshapes what we thought we knew about reptile evolution.
It suggests that these skin bones may have evolved in response to environmental pressures as lizards adapted to Australia's challenging landscapes.'
The researchers also talked about the vital role of museum archives in this discovery. Some of the studied specimens were over 120 years old. By using the non-destructive micro-CT scanning, these preserved reptiles could be examined in detail for the first time.
The study reveals that more than half of all lizard species may have osteoderms, about 85% more than previously thought.
With this growing dataset, researchers are now poised to look for even more secrets hiding in plain sight, bridging the gap between ancient dinosaurs and the reptiles we see today.
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Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
Are Monitor lizards modern dinosaurs? Scientists discover they share a hidden bone structure with the extinct species!
The past often hides clues about the present, especially when it comes to evolution. And sometimes, the most surprising discoveries don't come from deep expeditions into the wild, but from the hidden fossils or preserved museum archives. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Using technological advances like micro-CT scanning, researchers can now revisit old specimens and find out secrets hidden beneath the surface, without damaging the samples. These breakthroughs allow us to find connections across time, between the creatures that walked the earth millions of years ago to animals still living today. One among these is an area of recent study involving osteoderms, which are small bony plates located under the skin. While this is commonly associated with dinosaurs, armadillos, and crocodiles, new research shows they may be much more widespread in today's reptiles than anyone previously thought. Monitor Lizards share an ancient bone structure with Dinosaurs Scientists have found that monitor lizards, known as goannas in Australia, have hidden bone structures called osteoderms beneath their skin. Surprisingly, it is a feature they share with prehistoric creatures like the Stegosaurus. This research, published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, represents the first large-scale study of osteoderms in lizards and snakes. The team scanned over 2,000 reptile specimens using high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), according to Museums Victoria. 'We were astonished to find osteoderms in 29 Australo-Papuan monitor lizard species that had never been documented before,' said Roy Ebel, lead author of the study and researcher at Museums Victoria Research Institute and the Australian National University. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 'It's a fivefold increase in known cases among goannas,' he added in a press release. What are Osteoderms Osteoderms are well-known bone structures in animals like armadillos, crocodiles, and dinosaurs, including the iconic Stegosaurus. Their purpose isn't completely understood, but researchers believe they provide protection, help regulate body temperature, store calcium, and may even support movement. Jane Melville, Senior Curator of Terrestrial Vertebrates at Museums Victoria Research Institute, explained the bigger picture, 'What's so exciting about this finding is that it reshapes what we thought we knew about reptile evolution. It suggests that these skin bones may have evolved in response to environmental pressures as lizards adapted to Australia's challenging landscapes.' The researchers also talked about the vital role of museum archives in this discovery. Some of the studied specimens were over 120 years old. By using the non-destructive micro-CT scanning, these preserved reptiles could be examined in detail for the first time. The study reveals that more than half of all lizard species may have osteoderms, about 85% more than previously thought. With this growing dataset, researchers are now poised to look for even more secrets hiding in plain sight, bridging the gap between ancient dinosaurs and the reptiles we see today.
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Jurassic World: Rebirth hits USD 600 million globally, Scarlett Johansson starrer racing towards USD 800 million at worldwide box office
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Mint
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Largest piece of Mars fetches $5.3 million at auction, young dinosaur skeleton steals the show
New York City recently hosted an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects, featuring the largest piece of Mars ever found which was sold for over $5 million. However, it was a rare young dinosaur skeleton which actually stole the show when it fetched more than $30 million in a bidding frenzy. The 54-pound (25-kilogram) rock, officially named NWA 16788 was sold for approximately $5.3 million, including fees and costs, making it the most valuable meteorite ever auctioned. The rock was discovered in the Sahara Desert, Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, after it was blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike, according to Sotheby's report, cited by AP. The red, brown and gray meteorite is about 70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth and represents nearly 7% of all the Martian pieces currently on this planet, AP reported. Cassandra Hatton, vice chairman for science and natural history at Sotheby's highlighted the rarity of the find, noting that only 400 Martian meteorites out of the more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites found on Earth are Martian. 'This Martian meteorite is the largest piece of Mars we have ever found by a long shot,' Hatton said. 'So it's more than double the size of what we previously thought was the largest piece of Mars.' Stealing the show was a rare young dinosaur skeleton that fetched an astounding $30.5 million, including fees and costs after a six minutes bidding war among six interested participants. The skeleton is identified as a Ceratosaurus nasicornis, which is one of only four known skeletons of its species and the only juvenile one. The species resemblesthe Tyrannosaurus rex but is smaller. The bidding began with a high advance offer of $6 million, quickly escalating during the live round with bids $500,000 higher than the last and later $1 million higher than the last before ending at $26 million. The winner plans to loan dinosaur skeleton to an institution, Sotheby's told AP. This sale marks the third-highest amount paid for a dinosaur at an auction. A Stegosaurus skeleton called 'Apex' holds the record after it was sold for $44.6 million last year at Sotheby's. Parts of the juvenile dinosaur were found in 1996 near Laramie, Wyoming, at Bone Cabin Quarry, which is considered a gold mine for dinosaur bones. It was acquired last year by Fossilogic, a Utah-based fossil preparation and mounting company. The skeleton is more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall and nearly 11 feet (3 meters) long, and is believed to belong to the lateJurassic period, about 150 million years ago. Ceratosaurus dinosaurs could grow up to 25 feet (7.6 meters) long, while the T. rex could be 40 feet (12 meters) long, the news agency reported.
