Crocodylomorpha

Osteoderm of crocodylomorph or crocodilemorph.

The osteoderms They are bony plates that develop in the skin of some vertebrates, such as reptiles (crocodiles, turtles), dinosaurs (ankylosaurs, titanosaurs) and extinct mammals (glyptodonts). Its name literally means "bony skin" (from Latin you 'bone' and derma 'fur'). These ossifications do not correspond to the skeleton.

Crocodile osteoderms are bone plates embedded in their skin that have different functions:

• thermoregulation: heat capture, as if they were solar cells. Being vascularized and thus as blood passes through these bone structures, they warm up and distribute heat throughout the body, to be able to carry out their daily activities.
• defense and protection: They form additional protection against predators and blows.
• motion: FThey facilitate the lateral undulations of the body and tail, crucial for swimming.