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Dermal scutes are also found in the feet of birds and tails of some mammals, and are believed to be the primitive form of dermal armour in reptiles. The term is also used to describe the heavy armour of the armadillo and the extinct Glyptodon , and is occasionally used as an alternative to scales in describing snakes or certain fishes, such as ...
Scutes on a crocodile. Reptile skin is covered with scutes or scales which, along with many other characteristics, distinguish reptiles from animals of other classes. They are made of alpha and beta-keratin and are formed from the epidermis (contrary to fish, in which the scales are formed from the dermis).
Overlying the boney elements are a series of scutes, which are made of keratin and are a lot like horn or nail tissue. In the center of the carapace are five vertebral scutes and out from these are four pairs of costal scutes. Around the edge of the shell are 12 pairs of marginal scutes.
It is theorized that these scutes are most likely modified osteoderms that evolved over time to become the protective shell that we see today. [9] The difference between scutes and scales is that scutes actually form in the lower, vascularized dermis, with the epidermal layer creating only the top surface. Scales on the other hand, form in the ...
Squamata and Rhynchocephalia form the subclass Lepidosauria, which is the sister group to the Archosauria, the clade that contains crocodiles and birds, and their extinct relatives. Fossils of rhynchocephalians first appear in the Early Triassic, meaning that the lineage leading to squamates must have also existed at the time. [4] [5]
Snake scales may be modified to form fringes, as in the case of the eyelash bush viper, Atheris ceratophora, or rattles as in the case of the rattlesnakes of North America. [ 8 ] Certain primitive snakes such as boas , pythons and certain advanced snakes such as vipers have small scales arranged irregularly on the head.
The series of longitudinal scutes are five: dorsal (1 series, 10–14 scutes), lateral (2 series, one per side, 30–42 scutes each) and ventral series (2 series, one per side, 8–11 scutes each). [5] The dorsal fin has no spines and 36 to 48 soft rays, and the anal fin has 24 to 31 soft rays.
Southern naked-tailed armadillos are solitary, and are said to be nocturnal in the tropics [4] but have been reported to be diurnal further south. [3] As are many armadillos, it is an insectivore, feeding almost entirely on ants and termites. [4] Reproduction occurs year-round, [5] and animals have lived up to seven years in captivity. [3]