Skin-ditching gecko inexplicably leaves body armor behind when threatened

Skin-ditching gecko inexplicably leaves body armor behind when threatened 08/09/2017 10:24 AM EDT When trouble looms, the fish-scale geckos of Madagascar resort to what might seem like an extreme form of self-defense--tearing out of their own skin. Now, new research shows the geckos' skin contains a hidden strength: Bony deposits known as osteoderms, the same material that makes up the tough scales and plates of crocodilians and armadillos. But the presence of osteoderms in fish-scale geckos raises a herpetological mystery: If they have armor, why do they discard it? Full story at https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/skin-ditching-gecko-inexplicably-leaves-body-armor-behind-when-threatened/ Source Florida Museum of Natural History This is an NSF News From the Field item.   Follow NSF:  This email was sent using GovDelivery Communications Cloud on behalf of: National Science Foundation Update · 4201 Wilson Boulevard · Arlington, VA 22230 · 703-292-5111