NASA’s Curiosity rover has captured stunning images of a region on Mars covered in rock formations that surprisingly resemble giant scales of fossilized reptiles
These formations, nicknamed “dragon scales” by observers, have nothing to do with alien creatures or ancient monsters.
In fact, they are the result of geological processes that likely involved water from the red planet’s distant past.
While making its way toward Antofagasta, a relatively young impact crater about 10 meters in diameter located on the slopes of Mount Sharp (also known as Aeolis Mons), within the larger Gale Crater, the rover recorded dozens of rocks covered in polygonal patterns.
These stones form dense clusters that extend for meters and meters across the Martian soil.
Photographs taken between April 7 and 13 (Sol 4859 and Sol 4865 on the Martian calendar) show honeycomb-like textures with thousands of interlocking polygons, creating a visual that many compare to crocodile scales or even imaginary dragons.
Planetary scientist Abigail Fraeman, from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explained that the team had seen rocks with similar polygonal patterns elsewhere on Mars, but never in such an abundant and dramatic concentration.
“Many of the rocks we passed have these incredible textures, with thousands of honeycomb-shaped polygons crisscrossing their surface,” she said in a mission report.
This abundance caught the attention of researchers, who are now analyzing the collected data to better understand the origin of these formations.
Similar polygons have appeared before on Mars, both on smaller and larger scales.
In previous cases, they were associated with the drying of wet mud or the movement of ice crystals beneath the surface.
However, it is still too early to say for sure how these specific “scales” formed.
Curiosity has gathered many images and chemical data that will help differentiate between the various possible hypotheses.
The most likely explanation is that ancient water played a significant role, as Mars once had lakes, rivers, and a more humid environment billions of years ago.
This discovery fits into a series of “animal imposters” that the rover and other Martian missions have encountered.
Over the years, Curiosity has recorded formations that resembled spider webs, egg-like spheres, coral-like structures, and even a “turtle” peeking out from a rock.
Other spacecraft orbiting Mars have captured butterfly-shaped craters or even something resembling a buried dog.
Most of these cases are explained by pareidolia, the phenomenon in which the human brain identifies familiar patterns, such as faces or animals, in random images or natural formations.
Before arriving in Antofagasta, the rover spent nearly a year studying rocky ridges called “boxwork” on Mount Sharp, which also exhibit intricate patterns and curious structures.
These observations help scientists piece together the puzzle of Mars’ geological history, revealing how the planet has changed over time.
The black and white images were released by NASA on April 14th, and a colorized version processed by engineer Kevin M.
Gill has gained prominence on social media.
They clearly show how polygonal rocks dominate the surrounding terrain, creating a carpet of textures that fascinates both the public and experts.
While not actually dragon scales, these formations offer valuable clues about Mars’ wet past.
Each new image from Curiosity brings us closer to understanding whether the planet once had conditions favorable to microbial life and how its climate evolved into the cold, dry desert we see today.
The mission continues to advance, collecting data that may answer fundamental questions about the history of our planetary neighbor.
This geological surprise reinforces how many mysteries Mars still holds and how essential tools like Curiosity are to deciphering them, image by image, step by step.
Published in 04/25/2026 20h51
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.
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