The 3D model has been obtained from light-sheet microscopy imaging of a control (untreated) Nile crocodile embryo at day 64 of incubation. The skin scales are formed through a mechanical process of self-organising compressive-folding of the skin.
The spatial patterning of placodes —i.e., the primordia of skin appendages such as hairs, feathers & scales— is self-organised through interactions among morphogens in a Turing reaction-diffusion (RD) system. The resulting polka-dot arrangement of gene expression provides a template for where appendages form. Crocodiles are a spectacular exception to this paradigm: we have shown in 2013 that their head scales are not individual developmental units but form through a mechanical process. Using experiments, 3D microscopy, and computer simulations, we revealed in 2025 that the pattern self-organises through compressive-folding of the skin.
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Our publications on crocodiles are compiled here.