Skeletochronology of Amphibians and Reptiles: Fundamentals of Methodology, Variety of Problems, and Prospects

Skeletochronology, a method for determining individual age in vertebrate animals with annual cyclic growth, has become widespread due to its reliability, the ability to determine the age of living animals, and the ability to retrospectively estimate body size from the size of annual growth marks. The purpose of this review is to give an idea of the practical features of the use of skeletochronology and of the various applied and general theoretical problems that arise on the basis of the age data obtained. The formation of recording structures (growth layers and lines of arrested growth) in long bones, other recording structures, the main problems solved based on the results of applying the method, and the main advantages and limitations of the technique are considered.