The Barbarian Posted August 28, 2023 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 27 Topics Per Day: 0.00 Content Count: 5,051 Content Per Day: 0.66 Reputation: 969 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/20/2003 Status: Offline Author Share Posted August 28, 2023 18 hours ago, The Barbarian said: And yes, armadillo scutes and reptile scutes have a common origin that goes back as far as the first vertebrates. It seems that many early fishlike chordates stored calcium in osteoderms in the skin. These actually preceded calcified bones. It seems that bone as such was first for storage, then for armor, and finally for support. Turns out that this can happen to humans. Calcinosis Cutis is a disorder in which the skin and other organs calcify. It can be a very dangerous condition and it is often untreatable. Removal of the calcified deposits can actually make the condition worse. I discussed this with a veteranarian I know this morning. She thinks that bony scales are very ancient and the armadillo scales are likely homologous with bony reptile scales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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