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Morphogenesis of bone ornamentation in extant and extinct crocodilians

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Summary

Histological study of bone in the skull and osteoscutes of extant and extinct Crocodylia reveals that the skeletal ornamentation of crocodiles is caused by a process of differential, superficial resorption of bone. A partial reconstruction follows the resorption, and several resorption-reconstruction cycles are necessary to suit pit dimensions to overall bone growth. Bone ornamentation is a dynamic structure during ontogeny: the shape and the location of a given pit or groove vary in accordance with the instantaneous regional trends of skeletal growth. This supports the contention that bone oranmentation can be used as a reliable indicator of regional bone growth trends.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research team “Formations squelettiques”, Université Paris VII; Laboratoire d'Anatomie Comparée, 2, Place Jussieu, F-75251, Paris, Cedex 05, France

    Vivian de Buffrénil

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  1. Vivian de Buffrénil
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de Buffrénil, V. Morphogenesis of bone ornamentation in extant and extinct crocodilians. Zoomorphology 99, 155–166 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310307

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00310307

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