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In snakes, the ventral scales or gastrosteges are the enlarged and transversely elongated scales that extend down the underside of the body from the neck to the anal scale. When counting them, the first is the anteriormost ventral scale that contacts the paraventral (lowermost) row of dorsal scales on either side. The anal scale is not counted. [1]
Scales in the central or throat region, which are in contact with the first ventral scales of a snake's body and are flanked by the chin shields, are called gular scales. The mental groove is a longitudinal groove on the underside of the head between the large, paired chin shields and continuing between the smaller gular scales.
The shape and number of scales on the head, back and belly are characteristic to family, genus and species. Scales have a nomenclature analogous to the position on the body. In "advanced" (Caenophidian) snakes, the broad belly scales and rows of dorsal scales correspond to the vertebrae, allowing scientists to count the vertebrae without ...
Most snakes have extra broad scales on the belly, each scale covering the belly from side to side. The scales of all reptiles have an epidermal component (what one sees on the surface), but many reptiles, such as crocodilians and turtles, have osteoderms underlying the epidermal scale.
Other distinctions, as in many snakes, include in males a relatively longer tail to total body length and a wider tail base. Scale arrangement includes 23 dorsal scale rows at midbody (rarely 19 or 21), 211-250 ventral scales, a divided anal scale, and 60-91 paired subcaudal scales (Schultz 1996; Arnold 2002). Ventral scales are sharply angled ...
Ventral scales; Vertebral scales This page was last edited on 15 August 2015, at 01:11 (UTC). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution ...
This internasal pair is either present or absent in species of Vermicella; (2) Number of black bands on the body and tail combined; (3) Number of ventral scales. The ventral scales are elongated, horizontal scales that occur on the belly of the snake up until the anal plate. After the anal plate, the scales are subcaudal scales. [3]
The variation of scale colors as caused by different chromatophores, located on the dorsal (top) surface of a Garter snake. Coloration of snakes is largely due to pigment cells and their distribution. Some scales have lightly colored centers, which arise from regions with a reduced cuticle.