Hidden bony armor discovered in goannas reshapes reptile evolution
Turns out, nearly half of all lizard species—including Australia's goannas—have secret bony plates under their skin called osteoderms.
Scientists used to think these were rare in lizards, but they're actually pretty common and even show up in crocodiles and some dinosaurs.
This discovery could reshape what we know about reptile evolution.
Researchers scanned nearly 2,000 museum specimens
By scanning almost 2,000 museum specimens (some over 120 years old!), researchers spotted osteoderms in 29 Australo-Papuan monitor lizard species for the first time—a fivefold jump for goannas.
It's a great reminder that old museum collections still have plenty of secrets left to reveal.
Osteoderms help with protection and keep cool
Osteoderms help with protection, keeping cool or warm, moving around, and even storing calcium for eggs—but scientists are still figuring out the details.
The fact that so many different lizards have them suggests these "hidden armors" evolved multiple times as reptiles adapted to tough environments like Australia.
Findings were unexpected and important
Lead researcher Roy Ebel noted that the findings were unexpected and important.
These hidden bones could help us connect the dots between today's reptiles and their ancient dinosaur relatives—and give us a fresh look at how life adapts over millions of years.