Scientists normally explain the spectacular diversity of animal patterns by pointing to genetics. But a study in Nature suggests that, at least for crocodile heads, different forces might be at play.

In the damp warmth of a crocodile’s egg, something extraordinary unfolds. The tiny embryo’s face begins to ripple and fold in a pattern that will become the fearsome array of scales we recognize on a ...

Many animals get their external marking — such as, feathers, hair or scales-from genetics. But it turns out, the crocodile gets its head patterns differently. (Story aired on ATC on Dec. 11, 202.) We ...