Crocodile scales remind us that sometimes, the simplest mechanical forces can create the most intricate patterns. The findings appeared in the journal Nature . This story originally appeared on ...

A multidisciplinary team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has just demonstrated that the scales on the head of crocodiles arise from the mechanics of growing tissues without genetic involvement.

LAMBERT: Feathers, hair and scale on other animals all get built ... To figure out whether crocodile heads are more like mud or more like brains, Milinkovitch injected a drug that speeds up ...

LAMBERT: He was surprised because features like scales, feathers and hair form ... sped up the growth rate of the top layer of crocodile skin in developing embryos. MILINKOVITCH: When we do ...

The cover highlights the mechanically self-organized pattern of scales on the head of a young Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus). Typically, vertebrate skin appendages such as scales ...

Many animals get their external marking -- such as, feathers, hair or scales-from genetics. But it turns out, the crocodile gets its head patterns differently. (Story aired on ATC on Dec. 11, 202.) ...

Crocodilians—semiaquatic reptiles comprising crocodiles, gharials ... Impenetrable Body Armor Reptiles are known for their scales, which provide a certain level of protection and camouflage.

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