If you’ve never had a reptile as a pet, you might be surprised to learn that many reptiles don’t pee like humans do. Instead of liquid urine, they release waste in a solid, crystal form.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society has found that the solid waste of more than 20 reptile species contains tiny crystals made of uric acid.
This unique waste system may help reptiles save water, and the research could even lead to better treatments for human conditions like kidney stones and gout.
All animals need to get rid of waste, but the way they do it can be very different. In humans, waste is removed through urine, which carries urea, uric acid, and ammonia out of the body. But reptiles and birds do something different.
They turn some of those same waste compounds into solids, called urates, and pass them out through an opening called the cloaca. Scientists believe this solid waste system helps reptiles save water—a big advantage for animals that often live in dry places.
While forming crystals in urine helps reptiles survive, the same process can be harmful in people. In humans, too much uric acid can form painful crystals in the joints, leading to a condition called gout. It can also create kidney stones.
To learn more, a team led by scientist Jennifer Swift looked closely at reptile waste to understand how these animals manage to create and safely get rid of these crystals.
The researchers studied urates from over 20 reptile species, including ball pythons, Angolan pythons, and Madagascan tree boas. Using powerful microscopes, they discovered that the solid waste is made of tiny textured spheres that are 1 to 10 micrometers wide.
These spheres are built from even smaller nanocrystals made of uric acid and water. The study showed that uric acid helps turn dangerous compounds like ammonia into safer solids.
What’s fascinating is that this natural process in reptiles may hold clues for human medicine. The way reptiles turn harmful waste into harmless solids could help scientists develop new treatments for problems caused by uric acid in people.
Although more research is needed, the study gives hope that we can learn from reptiles to better manage diseases like kidney stones and gout.
This research was supported by the National Science Foundation, Georgetown University, the International Centre for Diffraction Data, and the Chiricahua Desert Museum. It’s a great example of how studying animals can lead to discoveries that improve human health.
If you care about kidney health, please read studies about pesticide linked to chronic kidney disease, and this drug may prevent kidney failure in people with diabetes.
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