However, the evolutionary process is slow, and its outcome remains uncertain. The study of these crocodiles offers a unique window into the mechanisms of evolution and adaptation in extreme ...

The scales on a crocodile’s body develop through this mechanism. About a decade ago, Milinkovitch noticed that the scales on the reptile’s jaws and face differ from those on its body. He speculated ...

They found crocodiles achieved a punctuated equilibrium, or a sort of stasis in their evolutionary journey. This theory contrasts with the idea that evolution happens over a long period of time with ...

The laboratory of Michel Milinkovitch, professor in the Department of Genetics and Evolution at the UNIGE ... showed that the embryonic development of crocodile head scales, unlike scales of ...

demonstrates that the development of crocodile head scales results from a process related to the mechanics of growing tissues, rather than molecular genetics. The diversity of these scales, observed ...

First, they tracked the evolution of the head scales during the embryonic development of the Nile crocodile, which lasts about 90 days in total. While the skin covering the jaws remains smooth ...

The cave crocodiles are genetically distinct from their forest counterparts. Over time, their isolation has led to the development of new traits, signalling their evolution into a separate species.