By Sophie Regnault with John Hutchinson and Marc Jones Sesamoid bones are specialised, typically small, bones found in tendons near to joints, with several unusual characteristics. We’ve covered them here before. These sesamoids tend to alter the mechanics of joints, and their development also seems highly influenced by movement. They can vary between individuals or…
Tag: reptiles
#FossilFriday: A four-legged snake from Brazil points to the origins of modern snakes
It sounds like a contradiction, but palaeontologists from the UK and Germany have discovered a snake with legs! This stunning fossil, found in Brazil, dates from the time of the dinosaurs in the early Cretaceous period, which began more than 145 million years ago. The new species, Tetrapodophis [meaning four-legged] amplectus, has the characteristic anatomical features of a snake,…
#fossilfriday: Beautifully-preserved amber lizards reveal chameleons’ evolution in ancient Myanmar.
A researcher working in the American Museum of Natural History, New York, has confirmed the age of the world’s oldest known fossil chameleon in part of a bumper find of fossilised lizards. In an almost Jurassic-Park style story, twelve of these ancient reptiles were encased in amber (sap from a coniferous tree) in what is…
Stunning X-ray still life images show skeletal adaptations in life poses
Seeing the skeleton in action can give viewers a very different perspective on adaptation and evolution, and most museums endeavour to pose their exhibits in real life position. This can be tricky, reassembling the bones and trying to give a realistic impression of total body shape and size beyond the skeleton itself. These images, from…
Anatomy To You 