Stunning photos of animals through X-rays

Newly released images from a project called OpenVertebrate allow us to see inside lizards, birds, rodents. through X-ray vision.

Tail of the spiny rat: The CT Scan project of the spiny rat revealed an armored tail, indicating that this rat is related to other rodents with similar characteristics.

Mexican bearded lizard : This lizard is also covered by armored scales. From there, scientists can track the evolution of similar armor in fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.

Gecko : The photo shows the unique skull structure of the chameleon. The protruding part on the top of the head is the cap screw, which helps bring water into the chameleon's mouth.

Sheep Frog: What's unique about this track is the northern sheep frog's vascular system, highlighted by its heart, which takes up most of its body.

Echidna: This is the most difficult animal to X-ray in research due to its sharp spines. To create this image, scientists had to put them in bags that were difficult to tear.

The complex skeleton of a seahorse: The external appearance of a seahorse is almost the same as when photographed. The scan revealed the complex and delicate interlocking skeletal structure.

Gopher tortoise: Have you ever wondered what's inside a tortoise's shell? Scientists have taken anatomical photos of many parts of this turtle, including the shell (upper left and lower right), internal organs (upper right), and bone and muscle structure (below). left).

Komodo Dragon Skull 3D Model : 3D model of the Komodo dragon skull with bones colored and labeled to represent the anatomy. When taking pictures of the Komodo dragon's skull, scientists discovered that it had a surprisingly weak bite. Damage from this lizard comes from the venom stored in the lower jaw.

Syrian Shovel-legged Toad : Color scan shows the thin thickness of the bones. The darker the green area, the thicker the bone. The thin bones in the limbs make them more flexible.

Mother lizard and her unborn babies: Scientists have taken photos of a pregnant spiny lizard. On the far left is the bone structure of a mother lizard and eight baby lizards. On the far right are photos of the lizards' brains, spinal cords, hearts and eyes.

Pregnant musk turtle: When taking X-ray images, the research team saw 4 eggs inside the abdominal cavity (upper right).

Blue heron : X-ray images of blue herons show that, contrary to other birds, the blue heron's trachea is much shorter than the cervical vertebrae. This shows that the blue heron's trachea is very flexible and elastic when it needs to stretch its long neck to catch prey.

Roloway monkey's skull: The monkey's skull has many similarities with the human skull. The photo above shows permanent teeth about to erupt and replace baby teeth.