Episode 238 - Osteoderms (Skin Bones)

Episode 238 - Osteoderms (Skin Bones)

From The Common Descent Podcast by Common Descent

March 1, 2026 · 2h 36m · Episode 360

About this episode

This episode explores the diversity and functions of osteoderms in various species.

Some bones are only skin deep! In many species of reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, bones called osteoderms develop within the skin, serving as body armor, additional muscular support, display features, or any number of other functions. This episode, we explore the extraordinary diversity of osteoderm anatomy, we take a tour through the many and varied osteoderms of Earth history, and we investigate a long list of hypothesized functions for these unusual bones. In the news: reptile skin, dinosaur quills, dinosaur bites, and cannibal snakes. Time markers:Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00News: 00:06:25Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:35Main discussion, Part 2: 01:26:35 Patron question: 02:24:05 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/ Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at…

People in this episode

Host: Common Descent

Topics covered

  • osteoderms
  • reptile anatomy
  • evolution
  • body armor
  • fossil record

Keywords

  • osteoderms
  • reptiles
  • mammals
  • amphibians
  • body armor
  • evolution

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Patreon

Books & works: On the Origin of Species

Places: Earth

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