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Sena MVDA, Marinho TDS, Montefeltro FC, Langer MC, Fachini TS, Nava WR, Pinheiro AEP, de Araújo EV, Aubier P, de Andrade RCLP, Sayão JM, de Oliveira GR, Cubo J. Osteohistological characterization of notosuchian osteoderms: Evidence for an overlying thick leathery layer of skin. J Morphol 2023; 284:e21536. [PMID: 36394285 PMCID: PMC10107732 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Osteoderms are mineralized structures embedded in the dermis, known for nonavian archosaurs, squamates, xenarthrans, and amphibians. Herein, we compared the osteoderm histology of Brazilian Notosuchia of Cretaceous age using three neosuchians for comparative purposes. Microanatomical analyses showed that most of them present a diploe structure similar to those of other pseudosuchians, lizards, and turtles. This structure contains two cortices (the external cortex composed of an outer and an inner layers, and the basal cortex) and a core in-between them. Notosuchian osteoderms show high bone compactness (>0.85) with varying degrees of cancellous bone in the core. The neosuchian Guarinisuchus shows the lowest bone compactness with a well-developed cancellous layer. From an ontogenetic perspective, most tissues are formed through periosteal ossification, although the mineralized tissues observed in baurusuchid LPRP/USP 0634 suggest a late metaplastic development. Histology suggests that the ossification center of notosuchian osteoderm is located at the keel. Interestingly, we identified Sharpey's fibers running perpendicularly to the outer layer of the external cortex in Armadillosuchus arrudai, Itasuchus jesuinoi, and Baurusuchidae (LPRP/USP 0642). This feature indicates a tight attachment within the dermis, and it is evidence for the presence of an overlying thick leathery layer of skin over these osteoderms. These data allow a better understanding of the osteohistological structure of crocodylomorph dermal bones, and highlight their structural diversity. We suggest that the vascular canals present in some sampled osteoderms connecting the inner layer of the external cortex and the core with the external surface may increase osteoderm surface and the capacity of heat transfer in terrestrial notosuchians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Valéria de Araújo Sena
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie Paris (CR2P, UMR 7207), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.,Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Laboratório de Paleontologia da URCA, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Rua Carolino Sucupira-Pimenta, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Thiago da Silva Marinho
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas "Llewellyn Ivor Price", Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil.,Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Felipe Chinaglia Montefeltro
- Departamento de Biologia e Zootecnia, Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Ilha Solteira, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Max Cardoso Langer
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Thiago Schineider Fachini
- Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - William Roberto Nava
- Museu de Paleontologia de Marília, Prefeitura Municipal de Marília, Marília, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Esaú Victor de Araújo
- Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Paul Aubier
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie Paris (CR2P, UMR 7207), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Rafael César Lima Pedroso de Andrade
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Laboratório de Paleontologia da URCA, Universidade Regional do Cariri, Rua Carolino Sucupira-Pimenta, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
| | - Juliana Manso Sayão
- Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Ribeiro de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Paleontologia e Sistemática (LAPASI), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Jorge Cubo
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie Paris (CR2P, UMR 7207), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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Hamilton J, Gartland KN, Jones M, Fuller G. Behavioral Assessment of Six Reptile Species during a Temporary Zoo Closure and Reopening. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12081034. [PMID: 35454280 PMCID: PMC9030525 DOI: 10.3390/ani12081034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Reptile welfare in captivity is vastly understudied given the diverse taxa and the large number of individuals held in zoos and aquariums. The varied natural ecologies of reptiles have the potential to impact how they perceive different stimuli, including zoo visitors. The current study aimed to explore the impact of visitors through observations on small groups of six reptile species during a temporary zoo closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic by measuring behavioral diversity, use of enclosure space, and select behaviors. The majority of the species showed intermediate responses to the change in visitor presence that varied in valence; however, some responses were more pronounced. Abstract Although reptiles are commonly housed in zoos and aquariums, their welfare is understudied for the diversity of species housed and the taxon’s current captive population size. The sensory abilities of reptiles have adapted to the varied ecological niches they inhabit, and these evolutionary adaptations impact how reptiles perceive the stimuli around them—including zoo visitors. This study aimed to assess visitor effects on small groups of six reptile species during a temporary zoo closure due to COVID-19 by measuring behavioral diversity, use of space (measured by a spread of participation index), and select behaviors. The species assessed showed diverse responses. The Catalina Island rattlesnakes (Crotalus catalinensis) demonstrated increased investigation and behavioral diversity after the zoo reopened compared to when the zoo was closed, but the European glass lizards (Pseudopus apodus) showed decreases in the amount of time spent exposed to the observers’ view and in their evenness of space use after the zoo was reopened to visitors. The other species, including beaded lizards (Heloderma horridum), Sonoran spiny-tailed iguana (Ctenosaura macrolopha), Arrau turtles (Podocnemis expansa), and dwarf caimans (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), had intermediate changes in their responses to visitor presence.
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Sena MVA, Bantim RAM, Saraiva AAF, Sayão JM, Oliveira GR. Shell and long-bone histology, skeletochronology, and lifestyle of Araripemys barretoi (Testudines: Pleurodira), a side-necked turtle of the Lower Cretaceous from Brazil. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2021; 93:e20201606. [PMID: 34378648 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202120201606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we provide a comprehensive investigation of the microanatomical and microstructural aspects of the carapace and limb bones of the Early Cretaceous side-necked turtle, Araripemys barretoi, from the Araripe Basin, Brazil. Inter-elemental histovariability reveals different secondary remodelling of the skeletal elements within the same individual. The vascularisation is scarce and mainly longitudinal, also it ceases towards the bone surface, forming an avascular parallel-fibred bone with closely spaced LAGs. These traits indicate a late ontogenetic stage and a slow growth rate for one of the two A. barretoi specimens. The high cortical thickness of the costal plate suggests an increase of the shell stiffness. The elevated relative bone wall thickness of the ulna compared to other limb bones indicates a case of local pachyosteosclerosis, possibly to improve body stability in the aquatic environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana Valéria A Sena
- Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências (PPGEOC), Departamento de Geologia, Avenida Prof. Moraes Rego, 1235, Cidade Universitária, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil.,Centro Universitário da Vitória de Santo Antão, Loteamento São Vicente Ferrer, 71, Cajá, 55610-050 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil
| | - Renan Alfredo M Bantim
- Universidade Regional do Cariri, Laboratório de Paleontologia da URCA, Rua Carolino Sucupira, s/n, Pimenta, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil
| | - Antônio A F Saraiva
- Universidade Regional do Cariri, Laboratório de Paleontologia da URCA, Rua Carolino Sucupira, s/n, Pimenta, 63105-000 Crato, CE, Brazil
| | - Juliana M Sayão
- Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Laboratório de Paleobiologia e Paleogeografia Antártica, Museu Nacional, Quinta da Boa Vista s/n, São Cristóvão, 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Gustavo R Oliveira
- Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Laboratório de Paleontologia & Sistemática, Departamento de Biologia, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, 52171-900 Recife, PE, Brazil
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Yang J, Song W, Li C, Fang C, Zhang Y, Wang Q, Zhang M, Qian G. Comparative study of collagen distribution in the dermis of the embryonic carapace of soft- and hard-shelled cryptodiran turtles. J Morphol 2021; 282:543-552. [PMID: 33491791 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Revised: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Turtles are characterized by their typical carapace, which is primarily composed of corneous beta proteins in the horny part and collagen in the dermal part. The formation of the extracellular matrix in the dermis of the carapace in a hard-shelled and a soft-shelled turtle has been compared. The study examines carapace development, with an emphasis on collagen accumulation, in the soft-shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis and hard-shelled turtle Trachemys scripta elegans, using comparative morphological and embryological analyses. The histological results showed that collagen deposition in the turtle carapace increased as the embryos developed. However, significant differences were observed between the two turtle species at the developmental stages examined. The microstructure of the dermis of the carapace of P. sinensis showed light and dark banding of collagen bundles, with a higher overall collagen content, whereas the carapacial matrix of T. scripta was characterized by loosely packed and thinner collagenous fiber bundles with a lower percentage of type I collagen. Overall, the formation and distribution of collagen fibrils at specific developmental stages are different between the soft-and hard-shelled turtles. These results indicate that the pliable epidermis of the soft-shelled turtle is supported by a strong dermis that is regularly distributed with collagen and that it allows improved maneuvering, whereas a strong but inflexible epidermis as observed in case of hard-shelled turtles limits movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | - Wei Song
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | - Caiyan Li
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | - Chanlin Fang
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | - Yuting Zhang
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | - Qingqing Wang
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
| | | | - Guoying Qian
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Wanli University, Ningbo, China
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Smith Paredes D, Lord A, Meyer D, Bhullar BS. A developmental staging system and musculoskeletal development sequence of the common musk turtle (
Sternotherus odoratus
). Dev Dyn 2020; 250:111-127. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Smith Paredes
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Arianna Lord
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Dalton Meyer
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
| | - Bhart‐Anjan S. Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Peabody Museum of Natural History Yale University New Haven Connecticut USA
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Cherepanov G. Morphogenetic and constructional differences of the carapace of aquatic and terrestrial turtles and their evolutionary significance. J Morphol 2019; 280:1571-1581. [PMID: 31411770 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 07/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The postembryonic development of the turtle carapace was studied in the aquatic Еmys orbicularis and the terrestrial Тestudo graeca. Differences in the structure of the bony shell in aquatic and terrestrial turtles were shown to be associated with varying degrees of development of epidermal derivatives, namely, the thickness of the scutes and the depth of horny furrows. Sinking of the horny furrows into the dermis causes local changes in the structure of the collagen matrix, which might precondition the acceleration of the ossification. Aquatic turtles possess a relatively thin horny cover, whose derivatives are either weakly developed or altogether absent and thus make no noticeable impact on the growth dynamics of bony plates. Carapace plates of these turtles outgrow more or less evenly around the periphery, which results in uniform costals, relatively narrow and partly reduced neurals, and broad peripherals extending beyond the marginal scutes. In terrestrial turtles (Testudinidae), horny structures are much more developed and exert a considerable impact on the growth of bony elements. As a result, bony plates outgrow unevenly in the dermis, expanding fast in the zones under the horny furrows and slowly outside these zones. This determines the basic features of the testudinid carapace: alternately cuneate shape of costals, an alternation of broad octagonal and narrow tetragonal neurals, and the limitation of the growth of peripherals by pleuro-marginal furrows. The evolutionary significance of morphogenetic and constructional differences in the turtle carapace, and the association of these differences with the turtle habitats are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gennady Cherepanov
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg, Russia
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Xu W, Gracias DH. Soft Three-Dimensional Robots with Hard Two-Dimensional Materials. ACS NANO 2019; 13:4883-4892. [PMID: 31070882 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.9b03051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Inspired by biological organisms, soft engineered robots seek to augment the capabilities of rigid robots by providing safe, compliant, and flexible interfaces for human-machine interactions. Soft robots provide significant advantages in applications ranging from pick-and-place, prostheses, wearables, and surgical and drug-delivery devices. Conventional soft robots are typically composed of elastomers or gels, where changes in material properties such as stiffness or swelling control actuation. However, soft materials have limited electronic and optical performance, mechanical rigidity, and stability against environmental damage. Atomically thin two-dimensional layered materials (2DLMs) such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides have excellent electrical, optical, mechanical, and barrier properties and have been used to create ultrathin interconnects, transistors, photovoltaics, photocatalysts, and biosensors. Importantly, although 2DLMs have high in-plane stiffness and rigidity, they have high out-of-plane flexibility and are soft from that point of view. In this Perspective, we discuss the use of 2DLMs either in their continuous monolayer state or as composites with elastomers and hydrogels to create soft three-dimensional (3D) robots, with a focus on origami-inspired approaches. We classify the field, outline major methods, and highlight challenges toward seamless integration of hybrid materials to create multifunctional robots with the characteristics of soft devices.
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