Snake scale
A keratin-covered plate forming part of a snake’s outer skin. Scales protect the body and contribute to locomotion, camouflage, and sensory functions.
Snake skin: The layered external covering of a snake, including epidermis and dermis. Scales are the visible, keratinized plates of this larger organ.
Snake locomotion: The varied ways snakes move using muscular waves, body contact, and environmental surfaces. Scales grip and interact with surfaces during several forms of snake movement.
Snake scale counts: The standardized counting of rows and individual scales used in reptile identification. Counts of dorsal, ventral, and head scales help distinguish snake species.
Fish scales: Protective dermal structures found on many fishes, with forms and materials varying among groups. Fish scales generally arise from the dermis, unlike the epidermal scales of snakes.
Keratin: A structural protein that forms durable coverings in vertebrates, including hair, nails, claws, and reptilian scales. Keratin forms the hardened outer material of snake scales.
Friction: The resistance to motion between surfaces in contact. Scale surface texture helps regulate traction against the ground.
Snake coloration: The colors and patterns displayed on a snake’s body. Scale pigments and arrangement produce diagnostic patterns and camouflage.
Bird feathers: Keratin structures that cover birds and support insulation, display, and flight. Feathers are complex branched coverings, whereas snake scales are flattened plates.
Epidermis: The outer cellular layer of skin in vertebrates. Snake scales develop from the epidermis and its specialized cells.
Imbrication: An arrangement in which overlapping structures cover parts of one another. Overlapping scale edges protect the body while allowing it to bend.