The first description of dermal armour in snakes

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F23%3A10459069" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/23:10459069 - isvavai.cz</a>

Nalezeny alternativní kódy

RIV/68407700:21670/23:00372915 RIV/00216208:11120/23:43925375

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=O.Spe5Z5ag" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=O.Spe5Z5ag</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33244-6" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41598-023-33244-6</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

The first description of dermal armour in snakes

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

Osteoderms, also called dermal armour, often play a role in predator defence. The presence of osteoderms is highly irregularly distributed across the squamate phylogeny and they have not been found in snakes. In this study, we searched for candidate snake species that would benefit from such armour to protect their body, focusing primarily on fossorial species with defensive tail displays. We examined the tail morphology of 27 snake species from different families using micro-computed tomography (µCT) and micro- radiography. We discovered dermal armour in four species of sand boas (Erycidae) that also feature enlarged and highly modified caudal vertebrae. This is the first description of dermal armour in snakes. Ancestral state reconstructions revealed that osteoderms likely evolved once or multiple times in Erycidae. We have not found osteoderms in any other examined snake species. Nevertheless, similar structures are known from unrelated squamate clades, such as gerrhosaurids and geckos. This supports the idea of underlying deep developmental homology. We propose the hypothesis that osteoderms protect sand boas like the &quot;brigandine armour&quot; of medieval warriors. We interpret it as another component of the sand boas&apos; rich defence strategy.

Název v anglickém jazyce

The first description of dermal armour in snakes

Popis výsledku anglicky

Osteoderms, also called dermal armour, often play a role in predator defence. The presence of osteoderms is highly irregularly distributed across the squamate phylogeny and they have not been found in snakes. In this study, we searched for candidate snake species that would benefit from such armour to protect their body, focusing primarily on fossorial species with defensive tail displays. We examined the tail morphology of 27 snake species from different families using micro-computed tomography (µCT) and micro- radiography. We discovered dermal armour in four species of sand boas (Erycidae) that also feature enlarged and highly modified caudal vertebrae. This is the first description of dermal armour in snakes. Ancestral state reconstructions revealed that osteoderms likely evolved once or multiple times in Erycidae. We have not found osteoderms in any other examined snake species. Nevertheless, similar structures are known from unrelated squamate clades, such as gerrhosaurids and geckos. This supports the idea of underlying deep developmental homology. We propose the hypothesis that osteoderms protect sand boas like the &quot;brigandine armour&quot; of medieval warriors. We interpret it as another component of the sand boas&apos; rich defence strategy.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

30224 - Radiology, nuclear medicine and medical imaging

Projekt

<a href="/cs/project/EF16_019%2F0000766" target="_blank" >EF16_019/0000766: Inženýrské aplikace fyziky mikrosvěta</a><br>

Návaznosti

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Rok uplatnění

2023

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Scientific Reports

ISSN

2045-2322

e-ISSN

2045-2322

Svazek periodika

13

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

April

Stát vydavatele periodika

GB - Spojené království Velké Británie a Severního Irska

Počet stran výsledku

12

Strana od-do

6405

Kód UT WoS článku

001057999300021

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85152980072