524 Sentences With "scutes" | Random Sentence Generator

"[Screaming hairy armadillos] are so named because they have a lot of hair protruding from between their scutes (bony external plates)," wildlife biologist Imogene Cancellare explained.

Viewers learned about the plastron (the lower shell) and the scutes (a bony outer plate), and also that the bad boy on camera can take off a finger if you're not careful.

The shell is divided into two sections: the upper or dorsal carapace, and the lower, ventral carapace or plastron. The upper carapace consists of the vertebral scutes, which form the central, elevated portion; pleural scutes that are located around the vertebral scutes; and then the marginal scutes around the edge of the carapace. The rear marginal scutes are notched. The scutes are bony keratinous elements.

The "central scutes" extend over the dorsal mid line of the carapace from head to tail, with the "costal scutes" running along each side of the central scutes. The "marginal scutes" run along the outer sides of the shell, and the "nuchal scutes" are found in the area directly behind the turtle's head. Lastly, the "supracaudal scutes" surround the area above the tail. It is theorized that these scutes are most likely modified osteoderms that evolved over time to become the protective shell that we see today.

Midland painted turtle showing shedding of scutes The turtle's shell is covered in scutes that are made of keratin. The individual scutes as shown above have specific names and are generally consistent across the various species of turtles. Terrestrial tortoises do not shed their scutes. New scutes grow by the addition of keratin layers to the base of each scute.

The Kaluga Sturgeon is a massive fish, also known as the “River Beluga.” It has a triangular head with several bony plates. Its body is an elongated fusiform body with five rows of bony scutes: dorsal with 10-16 beetles (the first is largest), two laterals (32-46 scutes), and two ventral (8-12 scutes) between rows of small bony scutes grains and rarely more large plate. Lateral scutes are smaller than the dorsal and ventral scutes.

The carapace is further divided into large plates, or scutes. Typically, 11 or 12 pairs of marginal scutes rim the carapace. Five vertebral scutes run down the carapace's midline, while five pairs of costal scutes border them. The nuchal scute is located at the base of the head.

Scutes have not been found with other articulated specimens of Thescelosaurus, though, and Morris's scutes could be crocodilian in origin.

Larger individuals can reach in length, though this is relatively rare. A dorsal ridge (the keel) is only present in the posterior vertebral scutes or absent altogether. The front margin of the carapace is slightly to strongly serrated, with the marginal scutes projecting beyond the cervical scutes. The vertebral scutes are broader than long.

Gilmore divided the armor into five categories: simple rectangular scutes; ridged rooflike scutes; thickened rectangular scutes with asymmetrically-positioned sharp spines overhanging the borders; small pointed spines with thickened bases; and more elongate pointed spines with thickened bases.

Kunbarrasaurus had bony protrusions, also known as body armour, in the skin on its head, back, abdomen, legs and along the tail. Several types of armour are known in place in Kunbarrasaurus, including small ossicles, small keeled scutes on the body ordered in parallel longitudinal rows, large scutes without keels on the snout, large keeled scutes on the neck, shoulders, and possibly tail, spike-like scutes on the hips, and a combination of ridged and keeled scutes and triangular plates on the tail. There was one preserved ring of scutes around the neck. A sacral shield is absent.

If oriented along the side, the primary scutes would have pointed up and down, like in polacanthids, and the medial scutes would, by definition, become secondary osteoderms. The set of medial scutes (or secondary) would be possibly oval in shape. Skeletal reconstruction of Europelta, the most complete ankylosaurian known from Europe: B and C showing osteoderm coverage Thoratic scutes on struthiosaurines are oval to teardrop shaped, and possess sharp ridges that rise distally. Some scutes were long and had small domes on them.

Aquatic chelonii shed individual scutes. The scute effectively forms the skin over the underlying bony structures; there is a very thin layer of subcutaneous tissue between the scute and the skeleton. The scutes can be brightly colored in some species, but the basal color is a grey to dark brown color dorsally; the plastral scutes are often white to yellow in base color. Moustakas-Verho and Cherepanov's embryological study reveals that the patterning of the plastral scutes appear independent from the patterning of carapacial scutes, suggesting that the carapace and plastron evolved separately.

Behind the dentary was a moderately large mandibular fenestra. Individuals of Desmatosuchus were heavily armored. The carapace was made up of two rows of median scutes surrounded by two more rows of lateral scutes. The lateral scutes had well-developed spine-like processes which pointed out laterally and dorso-posteriorly.

The plastron is composed of 12 scutes and has no mesoplastron; the pectoral and abdominal scutes contact the marginal scutes. Some other features include a single articulation between the fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, the lack of a hyomandibular branch of the facial nerve, and an epipterygoid bone in the skull.

The plate-like formations found on the shells of turtle and tortoise shells are called "scutes." These scutes are large, protective epidermal cells that overlie the interlocking bones beneath the shell's carapace, or upper shell. Scutes are made of keratin, a protein which also makes up human fingernails, along with the horns and claws of some animals. There are different titles for scutes, depending on what region of the shell they occupy.

In most turtles, the shell's outer layer is covered by horny scales called scutes that are part of its outer skin, or epidermis. Scutes are made up of the fibrous protein keratin. Keratin also forms the scales of other reptiles. These scutes overlap the seams between the shell bones and add strength.

The posterior half is made up of two hypoplastra (containing the posterior bridge strut) and the rear is a pair of xiphiplastra. 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 5 vertebral scutes and out from these are 4 pairs of costal scutes. Around the edge of the shell are 12 pairs of marginal scutes.

Single rows of paired oval scutes may have filled in between the spiked rows. The bladed scutes, an extreme of the oval scute form, may have been found at the ends of the oval scute rows. The square scutes may have been restricted to one area, such as the neck and shoulders, or they may represent the belly armor. Spiked and bladed scutes are not unknown among crocodilians, although no other known crocodilian had or has both.

The Ultimate Dinosaur Book. Dorling Kindersley, New York, 110-113. Between the large scutes, very small (5-10 millimetres [0.2-0.4 in]) flat "granules" of bone were perhaps distributed within the skin. In the later Ankylosauria, these small scutes may have developed into larger scutes, fusing into the multi-osteodermal plate armour seen in genera such as Ankylosaurus.

The scutes on the proximal row have convex shape, and each scute supports a pair of hair follicles. Ring 2 is the first complete caudal ring and it is the largest ring. It is consisted by two complete rows of firmly sutured scutes. The distal/ending scutes are larger, and their free margins are rounded producing a fanlike shape.

Redondasuchus was first named with the description of the type species, R. reseri, in 1991. R. reseri was named on the basis of isolated scutes found at Apache Canyon and Shark Tooth Hill in Quay County, New Mexico. R. rineharti was described in 2006 from several scutes and part of a right femur found from Apache Canyon. While other aetosaurs have scutes covered in pits and grooves that often form radial patterns, the scutes of Redondasuchus are densely covered in pits and lack any patterning.

This detail of a Glyptodon displays its scutes. From the collection of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. leopard tortoise Scutes are similar to scales and serve the same function. Unlike the scales of lizards and snakes, which are formed from the epidermis, scutes are formed in the lower vascular layer of the skin and the epidermal element is only the top surface .

Skin of a juvenile Nile crocodile The skin of crocodilians is thick and cornified, and is clad in non-overlapping scales known as scutes, arranged in regular rows and patterns. These scales are continually being produced by cell division in the underlying layer of the epidermis, the stratum germinativum, and the surface of individual scutes sloughs off periodically. The outer surface of the scutes consists of the relatively rigid beta-keratin while the hinge region between the scutes contains only the more pliable alpha-keratin. Many of the scutes are strengthened by bony plates known as osteoderms, which are the same size and shape as the superficial scales but grow beneath them.

Scutes on the movable bands are triangular in shape, but those on the main plates are rounded. The number of scutes present on the fourth movable band varies from 44 to 52, with a mean of 48.4.

One of only a handful of fossil reptiles that have been found in Switzerland, Ticinosuchus (meaning "Ticino river crocodile") was about long, and its whole body, even the belly, was covered in thick, armoured scutes. These scutes were sometimes considered to have been staggered, alternating between several rows. However, some studies refute this claim, instead purporting that the scutes were aligned in neat rows, with a one-to- one assignment of scutes to vertebrae. The structure of the hips shows that its legs were placed under the body almost vertically.

A distinguishing characteristic of the genus is the secondary division of the abdominal scutes (the middle pair of scutes in the plastron) due to the development of the plastral hinge as the turtle matures. It eventually leads to the formation of small triangular additional scutes between the abdominal and pectoral scutes. Cyclemys turtles are cryptodires, having the ability to pull their heads straight back and vertically into their shells instead of folding them sideways like pleurodires. The head varies between species from dull to striped with bright red or orange bands of color.

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 upper epidermal layer of integument.

The sheath of the turtle's upper jaw possesses a denticulated edge, while its lower jaw has stronger, serrated, more defined denticulation. The dorsal surface of the turtle's head has a single pair of prefrontal scales. Its carapace is composed of five central scutes flanked by four pairs of lateral scutes. Underneath, the green turtle has four pairs of inframarginal scutes covering the area between the turtle's plastron and its shell.

The connection points and the position of the emarginations relate to different bones of the skull. Another difference is in the arrangement of the bones of the shell and the scutes overlaying them. Pleurodiran turtles have 13 scutes on the plastron of the shell, whereas cryptodiran turtles have only 12. The extra scute is called the intergular and is at the front of the plastron between the gular scutes.

Its whole body is decorated with patterns of scutes, clouds, dragons and animal faces.

Fossil evidence from some varanopids shows that parts of the skin were covered in rows of osteoderms, presumably overlain by horny scutes. The belly was covered in rectangular scutes, looking like those present in crocodiles. Parts of the skin not covered in scutes might have had naked, glandular skin like that found in some mammals. Dermal scutes are also found in a diverse number of extant mammals with conservative body types, such as in the tails of some rodents, sengis, moonrats, the opossums and other marsupials, and as regular dermal armour with underlying bone in the armadillo.

It is thought that the fragment was from the edge of the pelvic region. Another fragment includes two oval osteoderms with small ossicles fused between them. Pelvic shields were probably formed on struthiosaurines by these scutes. Caudal scutes have been preserved on struthiosaurines.

The carapace has five pairs of costal scutes. In each bridge adjoining the plastron to the carapace are four inframarginal scutes, each of which is perforated by a pore. The head has two pairs of prefrontal scales. These turtles change color as they mature.

The specific epithet scutatus is Latin for shield, referring to the large dorsal and ventral scutes.

The scales of the hind legs were smaller, finer and more irregular than those of the torso, while the scales of the tail were nearly square and arranged in more regular rows. In addition to the small scales, two rows of large, round scutes with shallow keels ran along the animals sides. One row ran directly along the flank, with the other either slightly higher or lower and composed of scutes only 1/4 the size of the flank scutes. The flank row of larger scutes extended all the way to the base of the tail, and remained uniform in size across the entire row.

All these scutes are aligned so that for the most part the sutures between the bones are in the middle of the scutes above. At the anterior of the shell there may be a cervical scute (sometimes incorrectly called a nuchal scute) however the presence or absence of this scute is highly variable, even within species. On the plastron there are two gular scutes at the front, followed by a pair of pectorals, then abdominals, femorals and lastly anals. A particular variation is the Pleurodiran turtles have an intergular scute between the gulars at the front, giving them a total of 13 plastral scutes.

Ring 3, the second complete ring, is almost the same as ring 2 except the smaller size and some of the scutes at the ending row reach the proximal margin, crowding the proximal scutes and making the proximal row incomplete despite the same number of 20 scutes in both rows. Rings 4–10 have decreasing diameters and increasing maximum length at the back (from 4 to 10). The rings have double rows, and have decreasing number of scutes in each row from ring 4 to ring 10. Glyptodon may have used their tails in competition for resources and also as an ornament when competing for sexual partners.

Last spine slightly longer than the others, which are relatively uniform. Dorsal soft rays 6-10; anal soft rays 6-9; gill rakers 9-11; bony scutes 29–32 with 7-12 large lateral scutes; total vertebrae 29-31; precaudal vertebrae usually 13. Caudal fin truncated.

Aphelidesmids are often large and colorful, but many are dorsally dark with yellow tips on the scutes.

The first osteoderms of the top neck rows formed a pair of unique three- pointed scutes directly behind the head. These points seem to have been connected by tendons to the rear joint processes, the postzygapophyses, of the axis vertebra. In general the scutes were larger at the front of the torso, the osteoderms diminishing towards the rear, especially on the surface of the thighs. The smallest flat round scutes might have filled the room between the larger osteoderm rows.

Growth rings are clearly evident in most individuals, but become worn smooth with age. Plastron view of an adult male red-footed tortoise The plastron (bottom shell) is large and thick along the edges. The gulars (frontmost pair of plastron scutes) do not protrude much past the front of the carapace. The plastron of a male is deeply indented, and the anal scutes (rearmost pair of plastron scutes) may be used to sex the animal while the color pattern varies by region.

It does, however, have a pair of enlarged spikes on the neck projecting from the third row of scutes. It has lateral scutes that bear horns that are posteriorly hooked along its back, while its sides and underbelly are covered with ornamented scutes. Although fossils of aetosaurs are not as common as other Triassic archosaurs, with their armor plates being the most common, Typothorax has been represented by fewer skeletal elements than other aetosaurs. Typothorax was about long and weighed .

The pattern of scutes on the carapace (upper left) and plastron (upper right) of the shell of Cyclemys: Shown in broken lines are the secondary divisions of the abdominal scutes, a distinguishing characteristic of the genus which only occurs in adults. Cyclemys turtles are characterized by more or less round carapaces, which are typically dark green, brownish, tan, or olive in color. The shell may have a prominent vertebral keel running from head to tail. Serrated marginal scutes are common in juveniles.

Mugger crocodile hatchlings are pale olive with black spots. Adults are dark olive to grey or brown. The head is rough without any ridges and large scutes around the neck that is well separated from the back. Scutes usually form four, rarely six longitudinal series and 16 or 17 transverse series.

Some of the Transvaal specimens also preserved large patches of bony scutes or scales around the body. The scutes on the belly of the animal were arranged in parallel diagonal rows which converged at the midline of the body and diverged as the rows stretched towards the tail. Each scute had a ridge running down the middle, and the scutes further towards the midline overlapped the ones further out. Along the midline, a row of flat and wide scales stretched from the throat to the tail.

Lineages differ by the shape of the vertebral and pleural scutes. Females have a more elongated and wider carapace shape than males. Carapace shape changes with growth, with vertebral scutes becoming narrower and pleural scutes becoming larger during late ontogeny. ;Evolutionary implications In combination with proportionally longer necks and limbs, the unusual saddleback carapace structure is thought to be an adaptation to increase vertical reach, which enables the tortoise to browse tall vegetation such as the Opuntia (prickly pear) cactus that grows in arid environments.

The World Turtle carries the Earth upon its back in myths from North America; for this reason many aboriginal North Americans refer to it as Turtle Island. To some Native American tribes, the turtle is a symbol of the mother of the Earth. Most turtles have 13 scales, or scutes, on the backs of their shells. For Native Americans, these scutes represented the 13 full moons in each year. In addition, on the very outer rim of most turtles’ shells, there are 28 smaller scutes.

The vertebral and costal scutes (the scutes along the center and sides of the carapace) are black or dark brown with a pale yellow areole in the center. The marginals (scutes along the edge of the carapace) 'tuck under' along the sides and flare slightly over the limbs. They are dark with the pale aureole along the middle of the lower edge. The nuchal scute (the marginal over the neck) is absent, and the marginals over the tail are joined as one large supracaudal.

Because of this difference, and because Pachycheilosuchus did not have many of the other features of eusuchians, it probably evolved procoely independently. The ulna, the major bone of the forearm, is strongly curved. Pachycheilosuchus had among its armor a unique shield of bony scutes for its neck, composed of six individual fused scutes.

The forelimbs were short (hence the specific name), and the hindlimbs were long in comparison. The scutes were extensive. Most of the scutes were keeled, but did not have spikes. Erickson regarded Wannaganosuchus as a generalized early alligatorid closer to the line leading to modern alligatorids than other more specialized early alligatorids.

O'Neill and colleagues compared Akanthosuchus to Pinacosuchus, a crocodylomorph with spiked scutes known from the Late Cretaceous North Horn Formation of Utah, but it differed from Akanthosuchus in several ways: it was much smaller (three to four times smaller than NMMNH NP-139), it had less derived vertebrae, and it lacked bladed scutes.

Both the paramedian and lateral scutes (which run along the side of the animal beneath the paramedians) have anterior bars.

The first primary osteoderms on the pelvis are large, compressed from the sides, and have a sharp, short point. S. sp. was preserved with five fragmentary scutes from the pelvis. One fragment includes two small scutes with a ridge down the middle, joining the two together, and a compressed osteoderm with a small spike.

The carapace is almost entirely black or dark brown with black radiating patterns. The plastron (the ventral shell) is not hinged and has a shallow U-shaped notch in the pair of anal scutes. The bridge (the parts connecting the abdominal and pectoral scutes of the plastron to the carapace) is approximately the same length as the rear part of the plastron (consisting of the femoral and anal scutes). Both the bridge and the plastron can be entirely black, dark brown, or yellowish with splotches or patterns of darker colors.

The dorsal paramedian scutes (those that line the back) are unique in that they are angled approximately 45°. In other aetosaurs, the scutes arc smoothly around the back from the midline to the lateral scutes that lie below them and run along the side of the animal. The dorsal paramedians of R. reseri are smaller than those of R. rineharti. In both species, each paramedian possesses a keel on the underside that extends from the medial edge (the edge near the vertebrae) to the flexed area of the scute.

One Uranocentrodon skeleton also preserved large patches of bony scutes or scales around the body. The scutes which would have been on the belly of the animal were arranged in parallel diagonal rows which converged at the midline of the body and diverged as the rows stretched towards the tail. Each scute had a ridge running down the middle, and the scutes further towards the midline overlapped the ones further out. Along the midline, a row of flat and wide scales stretched from the throat to the tail.

There were in total four rows of large scutes on the tail: one at the top midline, one at the midline of the underside, and one at each tail side. Whether the midline tail scutes continued over the torso and neck to the front is unknown and unlikely for the neck, though Scelidosaurus is often pictured this way. Restoration showing bipedal posture, as indicated by a fossil trackway The neck had at each side two rows of large scutes. The osteoderms of the lower neck row were very large, flat and plate- like.

Tortoises also shed skin, but dead skin is allowed to accumulate into thick knobs and plates that provide protection to parts of the body outside the shell. By counting the rings formed by the stack of smaller, older scutes on top of the larger, newer ones, it is possible to estimate the age of a turtle, if one knows how many scutes are produced in a year. This method is not very accurate, partly because growth rate is not constant, but also because some of the scutes eventually fall away from the shell.

The osteoderms of Scelidosaurus ranged in both size and shape. Most were smaller or larger oval plates with a high keel on the outside, the highest point of the keel positioned more to the rear. Some scutes were small, flat and hollowed-out at the inside. The larger keeled scutes were aligned in regular horizontal rows.

However, lizards generally shed in flakes while snakes shed in one piece. Unlike scutes, lepidosaur scales will often overlap like roof tiles.

Its elongated, tapered head ends in a beak-like mouth (from which its common name is derived), and its beak is more sharply pronounced and hooked than others. The hawksbill's forelimbs have two visible claws on each flipper. alt=Profile photo of animal head with prominent beak protruding above lower jaw, a faceted head covering surrounds the eye One of the hawksbill's more easily distinguished characteristics is the pattern of thick scutes that make up its carapace. While its carapace has five central scutes and four pairs of lateral scutes like several members of its family, E. imbricata posterior scutes overlap in such a way as to give the rear margin of its carapace a serrated look, similar to the edge of a saw or a steak knife.

Embrithosaurus was in length and in weight.The skull is relatively deep and narrow. The body is lightly armoured with thin, smooth dermal scutes.

The turtle's shell is covered by scutes formed mostly of keratin. They are built similarly to horn, beak, or nail in other species.

The holotype of D. zbyszewsii is a partial skeleton that consists of a rib cage with thirteen dorsal vertebrae and five dermal scutes.

Probst, E. (2010). Dinosaurier in Deutschland: von Compsognathus bis zu Stenopelix. GRIN Verlag. Armor includes three conical scutes and one tall, spiny element.

While these belly scales were made of bone, scales on other parts of the body had less bone structure and were probably made of keratin instead. The scales on the sides of the body were flatter and smaller than the bony belly scutes. The scutes on the back of the body were similar, although more rounded in shape, with a few larger scutes near the midline. The scales of the hind limbs and the underside of the hip region were similar to those of the back, although no integument was preserved on the forelimbs or tail.

Another species, S. austriacus, is known from two incomplete skulls, which preserved irregular scutes parallel to the orbits along the cranium. Scutes from the postcranial region of the skeleton are also known from struthiosaurines. Cervical bands have been found on S. austriacus, as well as S. sp.. The cervical bands are preserved as a groups of two or three osteoderms that are fused with a large neural spine on the medial edge, and attached to each other through small ovular scutes with short rounded peaks. The scute attaching to the neural spine has a round ridge with a shallow depression ovular in shape.

Armor at end of tail Glyptodon clavipes had a tail covered in free bony rings of dermal structures that made for a strong, flexible, and mobile appendix. This enabled it to use the muscles along its tail to powerfully swing it. (The rings in other glyptodonts' tails were fused together, making the tail a single piece of rigid bone; an example of this is Doedicurus.) The accessory ring, or caudal ring 1 has a short double row of small scutes. The proximal row has several small pentagonal scutes; the distal row includes more large pentagonal scutes than the caudal row.

The carapace connects to the plastron by three pairs of inframarginal scutes forming the bridge of the shell. The plastron features paired gular, humeral, pectoral, abdominal, femoral, and anal scutes. The shell serves as external armor, although loggerhead sea turtles cannot retract their heads or flippers into their shells. Sexual dimorphism of the loggerhead sea turtle is only apparent in adults.

A review of ankylosaur osteoderms was published in 2000, and reviewed the armour of Struthiosaurinae. The group was represented by the single genus Struthiosaurus, known from head, cervical, dorsal, sacral, and caudal scutes. Only a few head osteoderms were identified, so it is unknown how much of the skull was armoured. Many cervical and dorsal scutes have been preserved alongside species of Struthiosaurus.

The most obvious morphological feature of box turtles is their bony boxy shell that consists of scutes covering the carapace. The scutes are used to enhance structural support and give the box turtles their sculpted appearance. In box turtles, the bones in their shell fuse together unlike in other turtles. Their ribs and vertebral column are fused with their bony shell.

Forming in the living dermis, the scutes produce a horny outer layer that is superficially similar to that of scales. Scutes will usually not overlap as snake scales (but see the pangolin). The outer keratin layer is shed piecemeal, and not in one continuous layer of skin as seen in snakes or lizards. The dermal base may contain bone and produce dermal armour.

Cast of a nearly complete skeleton found in 2000 by David Sole, showing fossilised bony scutes, Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre. The most obvious feature of Scelidosaurus is its armour, consisting of bony scutes embedded in the skin. These osteoderms were arranged in horizontal parallel rows down the animal's body. Osteoderms are today found in the skin of crocodiles, armadillos and some lizards.

The egg-shaped carapace is rough textured without keels or marginal serrations and tends to be olive to brown in color. The vertebral scutes are broad, the first of which connects to four marginal and the cervical scute. The marginal scutes are yellow and may be blotched. The yellow plastron is unhinged and unmarked with the bridges containing one or two dark splotches.

1894 restoration of Belodon, based on the skull of Nicrosaurus and the carapace of Paratypothorax Paratypothorax possesses paramedian scutes that are wide, strap-like, and have grooves and pits on them forming radial patterns. Like other typothoracisines such as Typothorax, the lateral scutes bear large horns that are posteriorly hooked. The rear of each scute is overlapped by a prominent knob.

However, Stagonolepis was still known primarily by scutes and imprints of scutes, many of which were not well preserved. The articulated skeletons of 22 aetosaurs, discovered near Stuttgart, Germany and first described by Oskar Fraas in 1877. The skeletons are now in the State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart. More complete aetosaur remains were found from the Lower Stubensandtein of Germany in the 1870s.

In crocodiles and turtles, the dermal armour is formed from the deeper dermis rather than the epidermis , and does not form the same sort of overlapping structure as snake scales. These dermal scales are more properly called scutes. Similar dermal scutes are 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 pelvic fin contains a single spine and 18 to 20 soft rays. The lateral line has a moderate anterior arch, with the junction of the curved and straight section below the 12th to 14th dorsal ray. The straight section of the lateral line contains 16 to 20 scutes, with the lateral line having 31 to 50 combined scales and scutes over its entire length.

They also list dates on desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) scutes and bone (11,280 to 12,520) and dates for middens of packrats in the shelter (11,850 to 31,250).

The carapace is yellowish brown to dark brown or even black at the edges of the scutes. The areola in each scute are pale yellow, orange or light brown and blend into the darker carapace. The plastron (shell bottom) is thick around the edges, and the gulars (front pair of plastron scutes) do not project past the carapace. The plastron is yellow-brown turning nearly black near the seams.

Scutes of S. imperator The osteoderms, also known as dermal scutes, of Sarcosuchus were similar to those goniopholodids like Sunosuchus and Goniopholis; they formed an uninterrupted surface that started in the posterior part of the neck up to the middle of the tail like is seen in Araripesuchus and other basal crocodyliforms, different from the pattern seen in living crocodiles, which present discontinuity between the osteoderms of the neck and body.

The curved section has 45 to 55 scales present and 0 to 3 scutes, while the straight section contains 0 to 8 scales and 24 to 32 scutes. The shoulder girdle is smooth, lacking papillae. The false scad has a well-developed adipose eyelid, particularly posteriorly, with the both jaws containing irregular narrow bands of fine teeth. The species has 50 to 58 gill rakers and 24 vertebrae.

Such scales were once thought to be typical of the class Reptilia as a whole, but are now known to occur only in lepidosaurians. The scales found in turtles and crocodiles are of dermal, rather than epidermal, origin and are properly termed scutes. In turtles, the body is hidden inside a hard shell composed of fused scutes. Lacking a thick dermis, reptilian leather is not as strong as mammalian leather.

They also lack vertebral centra, and are partially covered with five lateral rows of scutes rather than scales. They also have four barbels—sensory organs that precede their wide, toothless mouths. They navigate their riverine habitats traveling just off the bottom with their barbels dragging along gravel, or murky substrate. Sturgeon are recognizable for their elongated bodies, flattened rostra, distinctive scutes and barbels, and elongated upper tail lobes.

American, Nile and Saltwater crocodiles, with post-occipital scutes highlighted in red, nuchal shield in blue and dorsal scutes in green gastralia. A crocodile's physical traits allow it to be a successful predator. Its external morphology is a sign of its aquatic and predatory lifestyle. Its streamlined body enables it to swim swiftly; it also tucks its feet to the side while swimming, making it faster by decreasing water resistance.

They have a short neck and the intergular scute completely separates the gular scutes. They have no alveolar ridge separating them from the snapping turtles of the genus Elseya.

A secondary palate was present. The armour of Shamosaurus contained two cervical halfrings with six segments each, protecting the neck. Also keeled osteoderms and flat oval scutes were present.

Also, R. castilloi differs from R. woodsi by having abundant, punctate tubercles on the body, and it differs from R. xingui in the number of form of its scutes.

Scelidosaurus with Soft Tissue Preservation. Palaeontology, Vol. 43, Part 3, 2000, pp. 549-559. Between these main series, one or two rows of smaller oval keeled scutes were present.

This is the largest of the South American Acanthochelys species, growing to in carapace length. It has a broad, oval to moderately elongated, deep carapace with a shallow dorsal groove extending along the second to fourth vertebrals. The first and fifth vertebral scutes are very broad, the second through fourth may be slightly longer than broad, and the fifth is laterally expanded. Vertebral and pleural scutes may be rugose with growth annuli.

However, the braincase walls were quite thick and well armoured. The carapace of Psephoderma was made up of two parts, one of which covered the rib cage and thorax and the other of which covered the pelvis. Both parts of the carapace were made of partially fused scutes, roughly hexagonal or circular in shape. Its tail was quite long, up to about 80 cm, and had scutes all the way down it.

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. Scales 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). They may be ossified or tubercular, as in the case of lizards, or modified elaborately, as in the case of snakes.Smith, Malcolm A. (1931).

The large scutes on the right side cover the ventral, or belly side of the snake. The smaller scales cover the rest of the snake. Note how the scales overlap.

Aetosaurs (aetosaur ; order name Aetosauria ; from Greek, (aetos, "eagle") and (sauros, "lizard")) are an extinct order of heavily armoured, medium- to large-sized Late Triassic herbivorous archosaurs. They have small heads, upturned snouts, erect limbs, and a body covered by plate-like scutes. All aetosaurs belong to the family Stagonolepididae. Two distinct subdivisions of aetosaurs are currently recognized, Desmatosuchinae and Aetosaurinae, based primarily on differences in the morphology of the bony scutes of the two groups.

From Phillip Parker King's Survey. 1818. To a much lesser extent, specific species of sea turtles are targeted not for their flesh, but for their shells. Tortoiseshell, a traditional decorative ornamental material used in Japan and China, comes from the carapace scutes of the hawksbill sea turtle. Ancient Greeks and ancient Romans processed sea turtle scutes (primarily from the hawksbill sea turtle) for various articles and ornaments used by their elites, such as combs and brushes.

Scutes with a bony base are properly called osteoderms. 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 sturgeons, shad, herring, and menhaden.

Lack of scutes (scale-like protrusions of the shell) that are present in most other Tridacna species is a defining characteristic of this species, although in aquacultures specimens have been observed to develop scutes in at least one abnormal case. The mantle usually has a pattern of wavy stripes or spots, and may be various mixtures of orange, yellow, black and white, often with brilliant blue or green lines.Lukan, E. M. (1999). Critter Corner: Tridacna derasa.

The lateral line is strongly arched anteriorally with the junction of the curved and straight sections located the origin of second dorsal to the third soft ray. The curved section contains 42 to 50 scales and 0 to 2 scutes, while the straight section has 0 to 7 scales and 48 to 69 scutes. There is a well-developed adipose eyelid on the posterior half of the eye. The jaws hold a single row of numerous comb like teeth.

Restoration of Aetosaurus ferratus by Marsh Aetosaurus was a small, primitive aetosaur. Unlike more derived aetosaurs such as Desmatosuchus or Typothorax, the carapace was long and narrow and lacked spikes. The paramedian scutes that covered the back (with one row on each side of the vertebrae) are considerably wider than they are long. The lateral scutes, which are beneath the paramedians and formed a row on either side of the animal, do not bear any spikes or other projections.

Photograph of YPM 1647, a specimen of A. arcuatus Old restoration A. arcuatus has paramedian scutes that are much wider than they are long, even in comparison to other species of Aetosaurus. There is very little pitting on the surface of the scutes, although the porosity of the sandstone that makes up the casts has been mistaken for pitting. The tail narrows significantly past the base. The carapace is "waisted", meaning that it narrows in front of the pelvis.

The anal scutes vary to allow the male's tail more mobility and allows more protection for the female's hind end. The gap between the points of the anal scales and the marginals is wider and the anal scutes form a broader angle- almost a straight line across- in males to allow the tail to move laterally. The angle is more closed (to about a 90° angle) and the points are closer to the marginals in females.

C. flavomarginata has a highly domed shell, the carapace and plastron of which are a dark brown with a cream-yellow stripe on the vertebral keel. The edge of the plastron is lightly pigmented due to the marginal scutes' and plastral scutes' lighter pigmentation near their edges. The skin on the limbs is brown, while the top of the head is pale green. Each side of the head has a yellow line extending from behind the eye backward.

The overlying scales, except in very young animals, are always rubbed off, so that the bony scales are exposed. The ventral or inner surface of the scutes is flat, while the outer surface is strongly keeled and in old animals is often rough and pitted. The plates are nearly square in outline and are closely joined together in most places. The scutes are grouped in two fairly distinct areas known as the nuchal and the dorsal shields.

The males have a longer tail and taller, more conical scutes on the back as well as a concave belly. The female lays a clutch of 1 or 2 eggs in December.

Lateral line inconspicuous with 28-38 (usually 32) small round scutes. The longest reported specimens are 50 mm. Background color pale olive, sides of the body pigmented with dark bars or blotches.

An example of this initiative is the SCUTES program—Students Collaborating to Undertake Tracking Efforts for Sturgeon. It provides lesson plans, educational kits, and an opportunity for classrooms to adopt a tagged sturgeon.

Like other doradids, Hassar species have a row of scutes on each side of their body, though they are more subdued. Hassar species grow to approximately 15.7-25.0 centimetres (6.2-9.8 in) SL.

The carapace of this loggerhead is reddish brown; five vertebral scutes run down the turtle's midline bordered by five pairs of costal scutes. The loggerhead sea turtle is the world's largest hard-shelled turtle, slightly larger at average and maximum mature weights than the green sea turtle and the Galapagos tortoise. It is also the world's second largest extant turtle after the leatherback sea turtle. Adults have an average weight range of , averaging about , and a straight-line carapace length range of .

Here, asymmetrical flight feathers, bipinnate plumulaceous feathers, filoplumes, powder down, and bristles evolved. Some evidence suggests that the original function of simple feathers was insulation. In particular, preserved patches of skin in large, derived, tyrannosauroids show scutes, while those in smaller, more primitive, forms show feathers. This may indicate that the larger forms had complex skins, with both scutes and filaments, or that tyrannosauroids may be like rhinos and elephants, having filaments at birth and then losing them as they developed to maturity.

The lateral line itself is strongly arched anteriorally, with the curved and straight sections of the line intersecting just after the commencement of the spinous dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line holds 31 to 50 scales and up to 2 scutes, while the straight section holds up to 4 scales and 49 to 69 scutes. The gill rakers number 24 to 30 and the species has 24 vertebrae. The blackfin scad has a maximum known length of 25 cm.

They closely resemble the red-footed tortoise, and can sometimes be difficult to tell apart, especially as a preserved specimen, which led to quite a bit of confusion over the names and ranges. The carapace (shell top) is a long oval with parallel sides and a high-domed back that is generally flat along the vertebrals (scutes or shell scales along the top of the carapace) with a slight peak near the hind end. There are five vertebral scutes, four pairs of costals, eleven pairs of marginals, no nuchal scute (the marginal over the neck) and a large, undivided supracaudal (the marginals over the tail). The front and rear marginals (scutes along the edge of the carapace) are slightly serrated in front and rear of young yellow-footed tortoises.

The arrangement of armour is unclear on the tail, although the triangular plates may have run on the sides of the tail, with long scutes forming a row along the top of the tail.

The plastron is smooth. The scutes are very thin and underlying sutures in both the carapace and plastron are visible through them in all but the darkest individuals. Pictured in the box is a carapace of a sub-adult Rheodytes leukops (242 mm length) showing the very visible sutures that can be seen through the scutes, still in place. The species, and in fact the genus, can also be identified by its very thin carapace bones, a character used in diagnosing the related fossil species Rheodytes devisi.

The generic name refers to Sierrita de la Cruz Creek where the holotype was found, and the specific name refers to Archie MacAlpin, who discovered the skeleton. Based on the histology of the scutes of the holotype, the individual was a subadult that was not fully grown. Sierritasuchus can be distinguished from other aetosaurs by several unique features as well as a distinct combination of features in its scutes. Unlike other aetosaurs, Sierritasuchus has recurved spines along its side that are serrated on the front edges.

The scutes contain blood vessels and may act to absorb or radiate heat during thermoregulation. Research also suggests that alkaline ions released into the blood from the calcium and magnesium in these dermal bones act as a buffer during prolonged submersion when increasing levels of carbon dioxide would otherwise cause acidosis. Some scutes contain a single pore known as an integumentary sense organ. Crocodiles and gharials have these on large parts of their bodies, while alligators and caimans only have them on the head.

The sea otter has the densest fur of modern mammals In addition to the glandular skin covered in fur found in most modern mammals, modern and extinct synapsids possess a variety of modified skin coverings, including osteoderms (bony armor embedded in the skin), scutes (protective structures of the dermis often with a horny covering), hair or fur, and scale-like structures (often formed from modified hair, as in pangolins and some rodents). While the skin of reptiles is rather thin, that of mammals has a thick dermal layer. The ancestral skin type of synapsids has been subject to discussion. Among the early synapsids, only two species of small varanopids have been found to possess scutes; fossilized rows of osteoderms indicate horny armour on the neck and back, and skin impressions indicate some possessed rectangular scutes on their undersides and tails.

The presence of spines and scutes make Spinolestes one of the earliest armoured mammals known. The evidence of dermatophytosis in the holotype sets the precedent that Mesozoic mammals, like modern species, were also vulnerable to fungal infections.

Like the three spined stickleback, they have a series of scutes or bony plates along the lateral line but, in freshwater populations, these are frequently reduced in number with a gap between the anterior and posterior plates.

A Greek tortoise shell opened to show the skeleton from below The carapace is the dorsal (back) convex part of the shell structure of a turtle, consisting primarily of the animal's rib cage, dermal armor, and scutes.

The scutes on its slightly domed and elongated shell typically have a radiating pattern of dark patches, though these can fade. Adult males have a concave belly. Most Bell's hinge- backs have five claws on each forefoot.

Fully grown, they weigh . The wood turtle's karyotype consists of 50 chromosomes. The larger scutes display a pattern of black or yellow lines. The wood turtle's plastron (ventral shell) is yellowish in color and has dark patches.

Such scales are more properly termed scutes. Snakes, tuataras and many lizards lack osteoderms. All reptilian scales have a dermal papilla underlying the epidermal part, and it is there that the osteoderms, if present, would be formed.

They also possess extremely long front claws, including a sickle-shaped third claw up to in length, which are proportionately the largest of any living mammal. The tail is covered in small rounded scales and does not have the heavy bony scutes that cover the upper body and top of the head. The animal is almost entirely hairless, with just a few beige colored hairs protruding between the scutes. Giant armadillos typically weigh around when fully grown, however a specimen has been weighed in the wild and captive specimens have been weighed up to .

The lateral line is strongly arched anteriorally, with the arched and straight sections of the line intersecting below the fourth to sixth soft dorsal rays. The curved section of the line contains 32 to 46 scales and up to 2 scutes, while the straight section consists of 35 to 45 scutes and up to 2 scales. The species has 24 vertebrae and a total of 38 to 44 gill rakers. It is a fairly small fish compared to most carangids, only known to reach 16 cm in length.

Ancient indigenous people used to camp in the area and gather pine nuts to be roasted. The roasting process itself was actually accomplished with the aid of the armored scutes of Sauropelta. The scutes were used as hearths on which to roast the nuts as they provided an effective flat surface, but unlike the local sandstone, would not crumble under the intense heat used to open the limber pine cones and roast the nuts. Plains Indians including the Blackfeet and Cheyenne have a tradition of using Baculites fossils to summon buffalo herds.

They include cervical bands, which are groups of osteoderms fused together and attached to the vertebrae, and large spines found on the shoulders of nodosaurids like Sauropelta and Edmontonia, although it is not known if the spines were fused like the later of separate like the former. It is quite possible that small ovoid scutes found on Struthiosaurus could have formed a pelvic shield like polacanthids. The caudal scutes of struthiosaurines are small and rough. Even though osteoderms are well-known, it is not certain where they were positioned on the body.

Smaller than some other armadillos, males measure an average of in head-body length, and weigh around , while females are larger, measuring and weighing . The tail measures around in both sexes, and has only tiny scales in its skin, unlike the larger scutes found in most other armadillo species. The upper body is covered by a dark grey bony carapace of squarish scutes. In the mid part of the body, this carapace is divided into a series of ten to thirteen mobile rings, giving the animal some degree of flexibility.

Mauremys caspica is a tan to blackish, medium-sized, semiaquatic turtle, which may attain a carapace length of . Its low, oval carapace has a slight medial keel (better developed in juveniles) and a smooth, unserrated marginal border, which is slightly upturned and tapered above the tail. A pair of low lateral keels are present on the pleural scutes of hatchlings, but these become lower with age and disappear completely in adults. The carapace is tan to olive or black with yellow to cream-colored reticulations patterning the scutes, and some individuals have yellow vertebral stripes.

Typical coloration for hatchlings is grey above with bright cream and black below. The colour of adults varies with differing swamp conditions, and varies from medium yellow-brown in clay swamps to almost black with a maroon tinge in the black coffee-coloured water of sandy swamps. Plastron colour is variable, from yellow to brown or occasionally black; often there are black spots on a yellow background with black edges to the scutes. The legs are short and covered in scale-like scutes and the feet have well-developed claws.

The armor was unusual in having elongate spikes or broad blades. Its scutes came in four basic types: square (13%, keeled or unkeeled), oval (27%, keeled), bladed (<1%, similar to oval but with a much exaggerated triangular keel), and spiked (60%, square-based, conical and blunt). The spikes were nearly as tall as the base of their scutes were long, rising up to . They contacted only one other scute each, and may have been arranged in paired sets down the midline of the back and tail, and along the sides of the animal.

Spikes on the shoulder, that some other nodosaurids featured, were absent. The armour on the head was fused into a compact helmet- like shield; these plates had a lumpy surface. Also bony cheek scutes were present.Carpenter, K. 1990.

The curved part of the lateral line is moderately arched; containing 62 to 73 scales, and approximately equal in length to the straight section containing 15 to 27 scales and 18 to 25 scutes. The breast is completely scaled.

Other names include the older name of beaked Cape tortoise,IUCN Appendix 1. Regional Species Lists as well as areolated tortoise. The latter name refers to its species name "areolatus", and describes the raised rings around the scutes of its shell.

The feet were short and broad, the phalangeal count being 2,3,3,3,2 on the fore-foot and 2,3,3,4,3 on the hind. The whole body is protected by dermal scutes, although these are not as thick or heavy as in more advanced forms.

This sturgeon has been known to reach in length, but it is usually much smaller.Froese, R. and D. Pauly. (Eds.) Acipenser dabryanus. FishBase. 2011. Its body is blue-gray above and yellowish white on the belly, with five rows of scutes.

The caudal fin is forked. There is a series of spined, lateral plates called scutes. Eyes are relatively small. R. woodsi can be differentiated from R. xingui by a smaller eye and a slightly longer upper jaw than lower jaw.

The Malaysian giant turtle (Orlitia borneensis) and the smiling terrapin (Siebenrockiella crassicollis) are the only other turtle species with ginkgo-shaped vertebral scutes, but they do not possess the white to pale yellow line on the back of their heads.

Dimetrodon grandis in an upright posture based on Dimetropus tracks, with scaleless skin and scutes on its underside No fossil evidence of Dimetrodon's skin has yet been found. Impressions of the skin of a related animal, Estemmenosuchus, indicate that it would have been smooth and well-provided with glands, however this form of skin may not have applied to Dimetrodon as its lineage is fairly distant. Dimetrodon also may have had large scutes on the underside of its tail and belly, as other synapsids did. Evidence from the varanopid Ascendonanus suggests that some early synapsids may have had squamate-like scales.

Adult female Chelodina canni Adults can be diagnosed by the wide, rounded carapace with a moderately deep midvertebral trough; a median carapacial keel either absent or minimal, being most observable in the eastern populations; a wide plastron with dark seams on an otherwise uniformly yellow plastron; first and second marginal scutes equal or nearly equal in dorsal surface area; wide head with a red to pink suffusion on the head, neck, and limbs; and bluntly pointed neck tubercles. Hatchlings have an extensive orange-red ventral head, neck, and plastral pattern extending well onto the dorsal aspect of the marginal scutes.

The straight section of the lateral line contains 19 to 36 weak scutes, and 31 to 55 combined scutes and scales on the entire line. The breast area of the fish is devoid of any scales, reaching from each pectoral fin back to the pelvic fin and occasionally to the origin of the anal fin. The species reaches a maximum known length , although is much more common below . The colour of the Malabar trevally is usually a silver overlain by a bluish-grey hue on the upper side of the fish fading to a silvery white on the underside and lower flanks.

The discovery of a skeleton with the body armor preserved in situ allowed Carpenter and other scientists to accurately describe this protection. Two parallel rows of domed scutes ran down the top of the neck, along the anteroposterior axis (front to back). On the upper surface of the back and tail, the skin was covered in small, bony nodules (ossicles), which separated larger conical scutes arranged in parallel rows along the mediolateral axis (side to side). Over the hips, the ossicles and larger domed plates were interlocked very tightly to form a structure called a sacral shield.

Each side of the tip of the upper jaw had four teeth, while the maxillae (main tooth-bearing bone of the upper jaw) and dentaries (tooth- bearing bone of the lower jaw) had twelve or thirteen each. The thigh bones were slender, and there were bony scutes on both the back and belly. The scutes on the upper surface were arranged in two rows running the length of the animal. Clark and Sues performed a phylogenetic analysis and found Kayentasuchus to have an unresolved position along with several other sphenosuchians, neither closer to true crocodiles or to Sphenosuchus.

The scutes may have provided stability for the spine, as they would have limited flexibility and may have been connected by strong ligaments. Temnospondyls, such as Sclerothorax and Eryops, that may have been at least partly terrestrial also have long neural spines on top of their vertebrae that would have stabilized the spine. Bony scutes are also seen in plagiosaurs, but unlike Peltobatrachus, Laidleria, Eryops, and dissorophids, these animals are thought to have been fully aquatic. Plagiosaurs may have inherited their armor from a terrestrial ancestor, as both Peltobatrachus and Laidleria have been considered close relatives of the group.

Jarilinus is an extinct genus of chroniosuchid reptiliomorph from upper Permian (upper Tatarian age) deposits of Novgorod and Orenburg Region, Russia. It was first named by V. K. Golubev in 1998, from skull fragments and trunk scutes. The type species is Jarilinus mirabilis.

There are 23 to 26 keeled scutes on belly. The characteristic feature to identify the fish is the presence of a dark blotch behind upper part of gill opening, and spots on cheeks and paired fins. Gill arches are pinky orange in color.

The cervical (neck) ribs, on the other hand, were long and expanded at their tips, and this expansion also occurs in the first few dorsal ribs. Rows of needle-like belly scutes known as gastralia converge at the midline of the body.

The fish has 11 to 12 dorsal soft rays and only present 29 to 37 anal soft rays. There are 24 to 32 keeled scutes from isthmus to anus on belly region. Lower gill rakers are serrated. Body is silver, darker dorsally.

The anal scale is undivided. The caudal scutes are single and number 20–26 in males and 17–23 in females. The following formal description is from George Albert Boulenger's Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (1896):Boulenger, G.A. 1896.

John Wiley & sons inc, New York. 635 pp. Exposed parts of reptiles are protected by scales or scutes, sometimes with a bony base (osteoderms), forming armor. In lepidosaurians, such as lizards and snakes, the whole skin is covered in overlapping epidermal scales.

Museum of Northern Arizona Press. Fossils of Thyreophora have been primarily found in the northern hemisphere. Thyreophora can be distinguished from Neornithischia based on: transversely broad process of the jugal and parallel rows of keeled scutes on the dorsal surface of the body.

It is brown in color and has a large, distinguishing "nasal" protrusion. The tail is black surrounded by a white margin. It is often found in large schools off tropical reefs, and it feeds on zooplankton. The fish has two scutes on the left side.

Similar scutes also cover the base of the dorsal and anal fins. The opercular bones are free of any spines or serrations. The vertebrae number 29-34, and adults possess degenerate gill rakers. The body is apparently naked; if present, the scales are microscopic.

Geoemydidae are turtles of various sizes (from about in length) with often a high degree of sexual dimorphism. They usually have webbed toes, and their pelvic girdles articulate with their plastrons flexibly. Their necks are drawn back vertically. Their carapaces have 24 marginal scutes.

Emydids have large bottom shells, and some members of the family have a movable hinge that separates pectoral and abdominal segments (scutes). The skull is small. The limbs of these turtles are adapted for swimming, with every member having some level of toe webbing.

Wannaganosuchus is based on SMM P76.28.247, a mostly complete skull and postcranial skeleton missing some vertebrae, coracoids, part of the feet, ribs, and other pieces. A few small bony scutes are also assigned to the genus, but not to the type specimen. SMM P76.28.

These specimens also seem to have little horns on the rear corners of the head, placed on the squamosal bones. Fossilized skin impressions have also been found. Between the bony scutes, Scelidosaurus had rounded non-overlapping scales like the present Gila monster.Lambert D (1993).

There were three rows of these along each side of the torso. The scutes of the lowest, lateral, row were more conical, rather than the blade-like osteoderms of Scutellosaurus.Martill, D.M., Batten, D.J., and Loydell, D.K. (2000). A New Specimen of the Thyreophoran Dinosaur cf.

The anal fin is located far to the rear of the ventral surface of the body, the attachment point of the first fin ray being somewhat forward of the black caudal peduncle marking described above. Photo of juvenile Corydoras panda, approx. eight weeks old In common with all other members of the family Callichthyidae, the body surface is covered, not with scales, but with bony plates known as scutes. The lines of demarcation between individual scutes can be seen upon close examination of this and almost all other Callichthyid fishes, and in the case of some specimens of this species, are highlighted by additional black pigment.

The scale surface is smooth and the thickness is limited, less than 0.1 millimetres. The authors considered it unlikely these structures were ossified scutes or osteoderms. Towards the rear of the tail, the scales become smaller and more rounded; they then no longer overlap each other.

This allows the paler tortoise to stay in the desert heat for longer. It is also an effective camouflage in the desert. The carapace is light yellow, often with two dark triangles on each abdominal scute. The tortoise's scutes have dark edgings that fade with age.

Like other rauisuchids, it has rows of osteoderms, or bony scutes, along its back. There are two rows of osteoderms. Each osteoderm is rectangular in shape and imbricates, or articulates tightly, with the ones around it. In other rauisuchids, the osteoderms are leaf-shaped rather than rectangular.

The small tail terminates in a distinctive spike. It has a brown to yellow head is small to large with a non-projecting snout. The scutes on its relatively elongated shell usually have concentric dark and light rings. Females are larger than males and usually more boldly marked.

As their name ("footless" in Greek) suggests, their legs are small and have limited function aside from perching. The feet are covered with bare skin rather than the scales (scutes) that other birds have. Another shared characteristic is long wings with short, stout humerus bones.Hyman, Libbie Henrietta (1992).

Like that of all marsupials, the fur consists of awn hair only, and the females have a pouch. The tail and parts of the feet bear scutes. The stomach is simple, with a small cecum. Like most marsupials, the male opossum has a forked penis bearing twin glandes.

In duck-billed dinosaurs, for example, three main types of tubercles are defined: small tubercles with no definite arrangement (ground tubercles); larger, polygonal tubercles (pavement tubercles) up to 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, which are grouped into clusters separated by ground tubercles; and limpet-shaped conical scutes.

The bony scutes on the tail have sideways projections; and the tail is so well armoured, that it is relatively inflexible. This caiman is a dark greyish-brown with mid-brown eyes. Males grow to about long, with the largest recorded specimen being . Females do not often exceed .

Armour of Edmontonia All ankylosaurians had armor over much of their bodies, mostly scutes and nodules, with large spines in some cases. The scutes, or plates, are rectangular to oval objects organized in transverse (side to side) rows, often with keels on the upper surface. Smaller nodules and plates filled in the open spaces between large plates. In all three groups, the first two rows of plates tend to form a sort of half-ring around the neck; in nodosaurids, this comes from adjacent plates fusing with each other (and there is a third row as well), while ankylosaurids usually have the plates fused to the top of another band of bone.

Some paleontologists believe velosaurs to be the direct ancestors to turtles. They argue that the smaller pumiliopareiasaurs evolved large, plate-like scutes that laid flat on their backs and eventually evolved into shells. This is highly disputed, though. Most scientists currently believe turtles to be more closely related to sauropterygians.

Further, other lineages have produced tough outer coatings analogous to an exoskeleton, such as some mammals. This coating is constructed from bone in the armadillo, and hair in the pangolin. The armor of reptiles like turtles and dinosaurs like Ankylosaurs is constructed of bone; crocodiles have bony scutes and horny scales.

This turtle gets its name from its reddish plastron or undershell. They have flattened or slightly concave vertebral scutes with a red bar on each marginal scute. Their upper shell or carapace ranges from brown to black. An arrow-shaped stripe runs atop head, between the eyes, to their snout.

The narrow-bridged musk turtle is typically brown in color. The scutes of the carapace have lines and graining, imparting an almost wood-like appearance. It often has bright-yellow markings on the edges of the carapace. As it ages, algae often heavily cover the shell, masking the patterning and coloration.

Harriet was said to be very good-natured. She loved the attention of humans and enjoyed it when people patted her on the scutes (plates which make up the carapace, or upper shell). Harriet spent a majority of her day napping at her home pond. Her favourite food was hibiscus flowers.

Even though Metriorhynchus was an effective predator, it was vulnerable to predation from apex predators such as Liopleurodon which could grow to 6.39 meters (21 feet) in length. Since Metriorhynchus had lost its osteoderms, "armour scutes", to become more efficient swimmers it would have had little defense against larger marine predators.

Stegosaurs are easily recognised by the prominent row of plates above the spine and long spines on the tail. Most stegosaurs, but not Stegosaurus, also have a spine over each shoulder. These spines and plates have evolved from the earlier surface scutes. Huayangosaurus is the oldest and most primitive known stegosaur.

Females of the Chinese softshell turtle can reach up to in carapace length, while the smaller males reach , but however have longer tails than the females. Maturity is reached at a carapace length of . It has webbed feet for swimming. They are called "softshell" because their carapace lacks horny scutes (scales).

Its coloration varies from gray to blue-green on the top of its head, and the sides are silver with four narrow, vertical bars. A faint fifth bar shows near the base of the tail. The breast usually has an orange tinge. The tail has no scutes, unlike many members of its family.

The sardines are known to swim at a maximum depth of 30 metres. The largest known standard length for the species is 22 cm. The fish can separate from its sister species by the presence of a dark spot behind gill opening. Belly consists with 17 to 20and 9 to 13 scutes.

The plastron is always a light yellow with dark, paired, irregular markings in the centre of most scutes. The plastron is highly variable in pattern. The head, legs, and tail are green with fine, irregular, yellow lines. The whole shell is covered in these stripes and markings that aid in camouflaging an individual.

He claimed that the specimen was a chimera including titanosaurid armor, crocodile teeth and theropod hindlimb material.Chakravarti, D. K., 1935, "Is Lametasaurus indicus an armored dinosaur?", American Journal of Science 30(5): 138-141 In 1964 Alick Walker chose the scutes as the lectotype, thus removing the teeth and the bones from the type material.

At least Spinolestes had xenarthrous vertebrae and osseous scutes, convergent to those of modern xenarthrans and to a lesser extent the hero shrew. This genus may have displayed an ecological role similar to that of modern anteaters, pangolins, echidnas, aardvark, aardwolf and numbat, being the second known Mesozoic mammal after Fruitafossor to have done so.

Besides hair, Spinolestes also had keratinous scutes. Uniquely among Mesozoic mammal fossils the internal organs are also preserved, deposits of iron marking the position of the liver and microscopic structures being interpreted as the bronchioles. These are separated by a curved line, assumed to be the thoracic diaphragm. The ear is very well preserved.

Siamosuchus is a genus of goniopholidid mesoeucrocodylian. Its fossils have been recovered from the pre-Aptian-age Lower Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation of eastern Thailand. It is known from a partial skull, most of the right half of the postcranial skeleton, and some bony scutes. Siamosuchus was described by Lauprasert and colleagues in 2007.

Atoposaurus is an extinct genus of crocodylomorph. It is the type genus of the family Atoposauridae. Fossils have been found that were Late Jurassic in age from two distinct species in France and Germany. One interesting feature of Atoposaurus is that it lacked dorsal scutes, a common characteristic of atoposaurids as well as most crurotarsans.

The limbs were relatively long, suggesting that the animal was terrestrial. Two rows of bony scutes ran down the back. The crowns of the teeth are not well preserved, so the diet cannot be determined with certainty. Given its small size, it probably ate insects and small vertebrates; it may have been carnivorous or omnivorous.

The carapace is generally black in color, though some may be brown. It is broad and flattened with a deep medial groove. The scutes are edged in black in those individuals with a lighter background color. The plastron is also very broad and is cream to yellow in color with sutures edged in black.

Although the closest living relatives of Cimolichthys are lancetfish and lizardfish, the living animals would have resembled very large freshwater pikes. Their bodies were covered by large, heavy scutes. Typical of this species are narrow lower jaws with several series of teeth. Remains of undigested fishes or squids have been found in collected specimens.

It has a broad head, large eyes in proportion to the head, and a slender neck. The dorsal scales are smooth, not keeled. The belly scutes have 15 scale rows at the midsection and have faint dark lines that give the impression that it is keeled. The chin is white but can sometimes be yellow.

The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera) is a species of softshell turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. Both the common name, spiny softshell, and the specific name, spinifera (spine- bearing), refer to the spiny, cone-like projections on the leading edge of the carapace, which are not scutes (scales).

The Sino-Swedish Expedition Publications 37, 113 pp Today this dinosaur is more probably considered an ankylosaur. The fossils, from the Minhe Formation dating from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian or Maastrichtian stage), were fragmentary. The type is the only known specimen. The material consisted of poorly preserved cranial and postcranial fragments plus some dermal scutes.

This appropriately describes the turtles' overlapping posterior scutes. The Pacific hawksbill's subspecies name, bissa, is Latin for "double". The subspecies was originally described as Caretta bissa; the term referred to the then-species being the second species in the genus. Caretta is the genus of the hawksbill's much larger relative, the loggerhead sea turtle.

Restoration of two Mesodermochelys (middle) and other sea creatures swimming around a Kamuysaurus carcass Like other dermochelyids, Mesodermochelys had elongated front flippers. One fossil found in Japan's Kagawa Prefecture had a carapace estimated to be 1.3 metres in length. Only the neural or spinal scutes, or individual plates, of the carapace are well grooved.

It is typically a bright green with slight dark green banding. The Paraguayan caiman lizards (Dracaena paraguayensis) are typically much more drab, with gray bodies and heads. There are tough raised scutes along the dorsal portion of the back. These give the caiman lizard a crocodilian appearance, and help to provide some protection against predators.

Carapaces of the eastern variants are often light grey or whitish between the scutes. Their plastrons are mostly dark in a symmetrical mottled pattern. Size tends to be smaller on average than northeastern variants, also reaching sexual maturity at a smaller size. Fore limbs feature a slightly enlarged scale on the side of the 'elbow'.

M. vanderhaegei may grow to a carapace length of . The ellipsoidal carapace, similar to that of M. gibbus but with a low medial groove, is somewhat serrated with a shallow subcaudal notch, and usually broadest at the 8th marginals and highest on the 3rd vertebral. Some rough striations may occur on the scutes. Vertebrals are broader than long.

Yellow rays extend outwards from the center of each scute. Scutes along the borders of the shell (marginal) are usually dark in color, surrounded by a yellow band. The lower shell (plastron) usually appears to be yellow in color, with scattered dark spots or rays. The limbs are covered with scales that range from yellow to brown in color.

The caudal fin is large and highly forked having 30 rays in total. The body is covered in small ctenoid scales except for part of the chest area which is naked. The species has no scutes. The vadigo has 24 vertebrae in total, and has 4 to 6 upper gill rakers and 9 to 12 lower rakers.

Lunostoma was a small animal, branches being about 1.3 mm wide. It is unique among Rhabdomesina bryozoans in featuring "scutes", crescent-shaped structures on the proximal side of apertures. The function of these structures, which resemble the lunaria of cystoporate bryozoans, is unclear, and it is possibly an example of convergent evolution. Otherwise it is similar to Saffordotaxis.

The type species of Psephosauriscus, P. mosis, is known from a single specimen including portions of the carapace and plastron. The scutes that cover the armor plates do not have as well-defined a shape as the hexagonal osteoderms that lay underneath them. The osteoderms that form the plastron are relatively large. Some osteoderms have a raised keel.

The carapace of this species is broadly oval, but is blunt at the front. In younger animals, it has keeled scutes along the back. The carapace is dark brown to black in color, smooth with no growth annuli and generally lackluster. The plastron is heavily stained in adults, appearing black over the true base color of yellow to cream.

However the soft shell turtles, pig-nose turtles and the leatherback sea turtle have lost the scutes and reduced the ossification of the shell. This leaves the shell covered only by skin. These are all highly aquatic forms. The evolution of the turtle's shell is unique because of how the carapace represents transformed vertebrae and ribs.

The appearance of scutes correlates to the transition from aquatic to terrestrial mode of life in tetrapods during the Carboniferous period (340 Ma). In the evolution from amphibians to terrestrial amniotes, transition in a wide variety of skin structures occurred. Ancestors of turtles likely diverged from amphibians to develop a horny cover in their early terrestrial ancestral forms.

S. tawilis is a small fish reaching up to 15 cm and weighing less than 30 g. Like other members of their family, they have laterally compressed bodies with bellies covered in tough, scale-like scutes. They have a single, triangular dorsal fin and a forked caudal fin. They possess long, slender gill rakers in their mouths.

Metriorhynchids are fully aquatic crocodyliforms. Their forelimbs were small and paddle-like, and unlike living crocodilians, they lost their osteoderms ("armour scutes"). Their body shape maximised hydrodynamy (swimming efficiency), as they did have a shark-like tail fluke. Metriorhynchids were the only group of archosaurs to become fully adapted to the marine realm, becoming pelagic in lifestyle.

A combination of five traits are characteristic of the ellinopygósteos species: caudal peduncle keel absent, its ectocoracoid reduced, dorsal spines fewer than seven, pelvic girdle absent or vestigial, and large lateral scutes absent. The body is moderately compressed. The head is conical and the interorbital area flattened. Bones are weakly ossified and sculpturing poorly developed on the cranial bones.

The Chilean jack mackerel looks very much like the greenback horse mackerel (Trachurus declivis) found around Australia and New Zealand. The two species can be distinguished by the number of gill rakers (T. declivis 50–57, T. murphyi 51–65) and the number of scales and scutes in the lateral line (T. declivis 81–82, T. murphyi 89–113).

The rest of the scutes and the skeletal structure beneath them are the same as all turtles: paired gulars, humerals, pectorals, abdominals, and anals. The skeletal elements consist of a single entoplaston, as well as paired epiplastra, entoplastra, hyoplastra, hypoplastra and xiphiplastra (Pritchard & Trebbau, 1984).Pritchard, Peter C. H. & Trebbau, Pedro (1984). The Turtles of Venezuela.

Phractura is a genus of loach catfishes (order Siluriformes) that occur in Africa. Phractura species are elongated fish with a long caudal peduncle and bony scutes on the sides, back, and belly., this feature giving the genus its name from the Greek phraktos, which means enclosed and oura which means tail.Phractura species are often associated with vegetation.

The anal fin has 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 18 to 20 soft rays. The lateral line has a low anterior arch, with this curved section being longer than the posterior straight section. The straight section contains 20 to 26 scales followed by 11 to 18 small scutes. The breast is completely scaled.

Paired squamosal bones extend beyond the skull's back margin to form small horn-like projections. The skull of Doswellia lacks several bones found in other archosauriforms, including the postfrontals, tabulars, and postparietals. The body of Doswellia is also distinctive. The neck is elongated and partially covered by a fused collection of bony scutes called a nuchal plate.

S. leytensis has a distinctive pale band of color running across the head just behind the ear openings. The anterior margin of the carapace of S. leytensis is slightly to strongly serrated. The distinctive ginkgo-shaped vertebral scutes of the Philippine forest turtle. Philippine forest turtles have brown to reddish brown to black carapaces that reach a length of .

Leptodoras is a monophyletic genus based on the single unique characteristic: presence of an infranuchal scute. This scute is the first in a series of well-developed midlateral scutes characteristic of most doradids. It is one of the most derived genera within the clade of fimbriate-barbel doradids. The most closely related genus to Leptodoras is Anduzedoras.

A skeleton of Cricotus crassidens (specimen AMNH 4550) Detail of the skull and limbs of AMNH 4550 Illustration of the skull and ventral scutes of Cricotus heteroclitus by Edward Drinker Cope. Cricotus is an extinct genus of Embolomeri. It was erected by Cope in 1875,Cope ED. 1875. On fossil remains of reptilia and fishes from Illinois.

Pp. 148–152 in N. Eldredge and S.M. Stanley, eds. Living fossils. Springer-Verlag, New York. This is explained in part by the long generation interval, tolerance for wide ranges of temperature and salinity, lack of predators due to size and bony plated armor, or scutes, and the abundance of prey items in the benthic environment.

Fragments of ribs, gastralia, and possible osteoderms (bony scutes) were collected as well, but have not been formally described or illustrated. Zawiskie et al. (2011) diagnosed Heptasuchus based on two autapomorphies, anatomical features that differentiate it from all other known archosaurs: the presence of large, posteriorly directed flanges on the parabasisphenoid and a distinct, orbit- overhanging postfrontal.

Scales on talons of a Steller's sea eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus) Birds' scales are found mainly on the toes and metatarsus, but may be found further up on the ankle in some birds. The scales and scutes of birds were thought to be homologous to those of reptiles, but are now agreed to have evolved independently, being degenerate feathers.

Akanthosuchus is based on NMMNH NP-139, a partial skeleton lacking the skull. The specimen was found in a concretionary sandstone lens with the anterior portion eroding out. It was discovered in Torrejon Wash, northwestern Sandoval County, New Mexico. The hind legs, numerous back, hip, and tail vertebrae (28), and armor (about 200 scutes) were the primary elements preserved.

The caudal fin is strongly forked. All species have moderate to very strong scutes on the posterior section of their lateral lines. All members of Caranx are all generally silver to grey in colour, with shades of blue or green dorsally, while some species have coloured spots on their flanks. Fin colours range from hyaline to yellow, blue and black.

Most morphological attributes of Nile crocodiles are typical of crocodilians as a whole. Like all crocodilians, for example, the Nile crocodile is a quadruped with four short, splayed legs, a long, powerful tail, a scaly hide with rows of ossified scutes running down its back and tail, and powerful, elongated jaws.Grigg, G., & Kirshner, D. (2015). Biology and Evolution of Crocodylians.

This species shows considerable difference between male and female individuals. The male angulates tend to be larger, to have concave bellies, and to have a longer, thinner, "peanut" shape. They also have enlarged and extended gular scutes under their chins, which they use for sparring with each other. The females tend to be smaller and rounder, with a flat or slightly convex belly.

The scutes may also have a radiating arrangement of lines. In some older individuals, and those that burrow frequently in coarse substrates, the shell may be smooth. Although generally black, a chestnut sunburst pattern in each scute is sometimes present on the carapace. The belly of the shell, the plastron, is also a dark brown to black color with light marks present.

The pelvic fins consists of 1 spine and 17 to 18 soft rays, while the caudal fin is strongly forked and the pectoral fin falcate. The species lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with 49 to 50 scales in this section, while the straight section contains 0 to 3 scales and 27 to 36 strong scutes. The breast is completely covered in scales.

Scaled sculpins (genus Icelus) are a group of small benthic fishes (up to 25 cm) living in cold waters. They are mainly found in the North Pacific, with some species in the North Atlantic. They are characterized by a large, laterally compressed head and small spines. The lateral line is present and the dorsal fin base are dotted with scutes (plates).

Thryssa encrasicholoides, the false baelama anchovy or New Jersey anchovy, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Engraulidae. It is found in the all marine, brackish and freshwater systems. It is closely related to Thryssa baelama, where the two different only by small structural aspects such as more caudal vertebrae and 1 or 2 keeled scutes without arms.

Additionally, there is a distinct ridge on the posterior surface of each dorsal eminence. Dorsal eminences are small projections on the surfaces of paramedian scutes that line the back of the animal on either side of the vertebral column. In Sierritasuchus, the dorsal eminence touches the posterior margin of the paramedian scute. Each paramedian scute is covered in a random pattern of pits.

The lobes of the second dorsal and anal fins are elongated and filamentous, being longer than the head. In males, a number of the central soft rays are also produced into filaments of varying lengths. The lateral line has a moderate anterior arch, which contains 63 to 70 scales, while the straight section has eight to 14 scales and 21 to 27 scutes.

Size compared to a human The holotype, and only known specimen, is fragmentary. From the skull are preserved both maxillae, premaxillae, nasals, prefrontals, palatines and quadrates, the left jugal, the right pterygoid, quadratojugal, surangular, articular, squamosal and lacrimal, and fragments of the dentary. There are also the first three cervical vertebrae, nine caudal vertebrae, some caudal scutes and fragments of cervical ribs.

The dorsal color of A. marmorata is usually dark brown or dull olive, with or without darker reticulations or streaking. The plastron is yellowish, sometimes with dark blotches in the centers of the scutes. The straight carapace length is . The carapace is low and broad, usually widest behind the middle, and in adults is smooth, lacking a keel or serrations.

The white sturgeon is different from other fish because they do not have scales, but rather boney plates extending from its gill to tail called scutes instead. The white sturgeon is considered a bottom-feeder and rummages the sea floor for food. This fish is toothless and ingests through means of suction, and has tastebuds on the outside of its mouth.

The body of the black jack is a uniform olive to brown, grey and even black colour along the back that lightens to a grey- blue near the underside of the fish. The black jack's fins are grey to black, and the scutes are black. The upper limit of the operculum often has a small dark spot present, usually smaller than the pupil.

Surface body armour (scutes) is the most striking feature of the thyreophorans. Scutellosaurus has these but otherwise differs little from Lesothosaurus. It has a long tail and combined bipedal-quadrupedal posture that separates it from all later thyreophorans including Stegosauria and Ankylosauria. These two clades, although quite different in overall appearance, share many unusual features in the skull and skeleton.

All limbs are webbed and possess large claws on all toes. The tail is uniformly light brown in color. Philippine forest turtles are relatively easy to recognize. They can be distinguished from all other turtles by their strongly projecting epiplastra, vertebral scutes shaped like ginkgo leaves, the absence of temporal arches in the skull, and the aforementioned light lines behind its head.

Scutosaurus was a genus of armour-covered Permian period pareiasaur, loosely related to the turtles. Its genus name refers to large plates of bony scutes (osteoderms) set in the skin, as a defence against predators. But the most unusual thing about them were the heavy skulls ornamented with strange knobs and ridges. It was of a very heavy build, almost rhinoceros-like.

Restoration Arandaspis was about long, with a streamlined body covered in rows of knobbly armoured scutes. The front of the body and the head were protected by hard plates with openings for the eyes, nostrils and gills. It probably was a filter-feeder. It had no fins; its only method of propulsion was the use of its vertically flattened tail.

Twenty pairs of bony scutes ran down the midline of the back. The vertebrae lacked the procoelous articulation (concave anterior and convex posterior faces) of more derived crocodyliforms. Dakotasuchus had short broad shoulder blades, suggesting it had stout powerful forelimbs and perhaps terrestrial habits. M. G. Mehl, who described the genus, estimated the length of the type individual when complete to have been .

The fore limbs are slender, and the hind limbs are robust. Several tubercles are present on them. The digits bear lateral fringes, more extensive on the toes than on the fingers, and more pronounced in males than females, as well as weakly developed scutes. The fingertips are small and almost in the shape of an ellipse; the toes end in nearly round discs.

Fur could have evolved from sensory hair (whiskers). The signals from this sensory apparatus is interpreted in the neocortex, a chapter of the brain that expanded markedly in animals like Morganucodon and Hadrocodium. The more advanced therapsids could have had a combination of naked skin, whiskers, and scutes. A full pelage likely did not evolve until the therapsid-mammal transition.

The carapace is brown to gray or black. The plastron covers much of the carapacial opening, is slightly upturned anteriorly, and is posteriorly notched. The intergular scute completely separates the gulars, but not the humerals, and is slightly shorter than, or about the same length as, its distance from the abdominals. The plastral formula is variable, but the femoral, abdominal and intergular scutes are usually longest.

To either side of the V-shaped supraoccipitals are the parietal bones, which form the posterior margin of the skull table. Along the snout, the nasal bone forms a thin ridge, and narrows as it approaches the external naris where the nostrils are located. The dorsal osteoderms (bony scutes along the back) are wider than those of other caimans. Some have two keels on their outer surface.

Science News; February 13, 2010; Page 11 Like other crocodilians, alligators have an armor of bony scutes. The dermal bones are highly vascularised and aid in calcium balance, both to neutralize acids while the animal cannot breathe underwater and to provide calcium for eggshell formation. Alligators have muscular, flat tails that propel them while swimming. The two kinds of white alligators are albino and leucistic.

The spot is often forked, facing posteriorly. The bog turtle has a dark skin color with an orange-red wash on the inside of the legs of some individuals. The carapace is domed and rectangular in shape, and it tends to be narrower toward the head and wider toward the tail. The carapace often has easily identifiable rings on the rough scales or scutes.

The anal fin has two detached spines anterior to the main section which consists of one spine and a number of soft rays. Their lateral lines have a moderate to strong anterior curve, with scutes present on the straight section of the lateral line. They are all a blue-green-grey above, fading to silvery white below. Only one, A. kleinni has bands or markings.

Chroniosuchians likely had ecological niches as riverside predators, and may have been outcompeted by semiaquatic true reptiles such as phytosaurs in the late Triassic. Most forms bore a heavy armour of scutes along the back, possibly for protection against land born predators like therapsids, or to strengthen the axial skeleton for terrestrial locomotion. Indeed, femoral microanatomy of Chroniosaurus suggests that it was amphibious to terrestrial.

Males have from 65 to 89 subcaudal scutes (average 76), with the tail from 23% to 34% of the snake's total length. Females have 54 to 87 subcaudals (average 69), with tails equal to 19% to 27% of total length. Nine plate-like scales on top of head. Queen snakes are not large, and they seldom grow to more than in total length (including tail).

Unlike the beluga, this fish has 5 major rows of dermal scutes, nail-like teeth in its jaws, and feeds on salmon and other fish in the Amur. They have gray-green to black backs with a yellowish green-white underbelly. The kaluga has been hunted to near extinction for its valuable roe. Despite constant anti-poaching patrols, poachers still continue to catch the fish.

Two rows of scutes ran along the middle of the back, as in other basal crocodylomorphs. The limbs are more complete on the left side; the left upper arm was long, and left ulna was long, so the forearm was noticeably longer than the upper arm. The hand was small. For the left hindlimb, the thigh bone was long and the shin was long.

Living adult specimens The three Aldabra-Seychelles giant tortoise subspecies can be distinguished based on carapace shape, however, many captive animals may have distorted carapaces and so may be difficult to identify. The Seychelles giant tortoise (A. g. hololissa) is broad, flattened on the back and with raised scutes; it is usually a brownish-grey color. In comparison, the true Aldabra giant tortoise (A. g.

Occasional specimens are a uniform brown, though this is very rare. Male specimens are much smaller than the females, and have concave bellies. Although this species shares much of its superficial outer appearance with its relatives in the genus Psammobates, it can easily be distinguished by its un- serrated shell margins, and the scutes along its shell bridge, which are broader than they are high.

The straight section contains 32 to 39 very strong scutes, with bilateral keels present on the caudal peduncle. The chest is completely scaled. The upper jaw contains a series of strong outer canines with an inner band of smaller teeth, while the lower jaw contains a single row of teeth. The species has 22 to 25 gill rakers in total and 24 vertebrae are present.

Like the crevalle jack, the horse-eye jack is known to develop hyperostosis in parts of its skeletal structure. Adult horse-eye jack are typically dark blue to silvery-blue above, becoming silvery white to golden below. In some individuals the tip of the soft dorsal fin lobe and the scutes may be dark blue to black. The caudal fin is yellow to dusky in color.

The name refers to the scutes, or scales that are on most reptiles. Funding for the renovation came from the $13.5 million campaign for the Encounter Africa exhibit. Bear Grottos: Asiatic black bears and Spectacled bears. The Loft: An educational exhibit building that houses American beavers, black-footed ferrets, chinchillas, eclectus parrots, lizards, prairie dogs, ravens, skunks, snakes, three-banded armadillos, tortoises, and Wyoming toads.

It has been reported to make low growling sounds and gurgling squeals, doing so loudly when it is captured, as well as urinating and defecating to discourage its captor. Mothers give birth to only a single young at a time. Newborns are blind, deaf, and hairless, with soft, pink, skin, although the scutes are already visible. They have been reported to live for over seven years.

Retrieved 14 June 2014. The armor is composed of ossified dermal scutes covered by nonoverlapping, keratinized epidermal scales, which are connected by flexible bands of skin. This armor covers the back, sides, head, tail, ears, and outside surfaces of the legs. The underside of the body and the inner surfaces of the legs have no armored protection, and are covered instead by long, coarse hair.

However, the species was based on a chimeric syntype material - a rhynchosaurian basicranium mixed with phytosaurian partial snout, scutes and some teeth. Friedrich von Huene (1940) identified the basicranium as belonging to Paradapedon huxleyi (now known as Hyperodapedon huxleyi), thus he assigned the phytosaurian material to a newly named species "aff." Brachysuchus maleriensis. Later, Edwin Harris Colbert (1958) designated all the Indian parasuchian material as Phytosaurus maleriensis.

Scutes on an alligator foot A scute or scutum (Latin scutum, plural: scuta "shield") is a bony external plate or scale overlaid with horn, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the feet of birds. The term is also used to describe the anterior portion of the mesonotum in insects as well as some arachnids (e.g., the family Ixodidae, the scale ticks).

Scute and skeletal elements of the chelid plastron The plastron of chelids does not contain any hinges as can appear in some cryptodire turtles. The scute pattern is a unique feature of the Pleurodira and can be used to immediately identify a shell as belonging to this suborder. All cryptodires have 12 plastral scutes, whereas pleurodires have thirteen. The extra scute is called the intergular.

A third, measuring 118 by 68 millimetres, had a narrow keel and the shark fin shape typical of the ankylosaurian side spikes and was thus identified as a lateral rump osteoderm. Some small ossicles were discovered also, round scutes of between two and four centimetres in cross-section, with a conical or flat shape and featuring a pitted surface. Their original position cannot be determined.

The Japanese sturgeon, or Amur sturgeon (Acipenser schrenckii) is a species of fish in the family Acipenseridae found in the Amur River basin in China and Russia. Claims of its presence in the Sea of Japan need confirmation. The species has 11–16 dorsal, 34–47 lateral, and 7–16 ventral scutes. Their dorsal fins have 38–53 rays and 20–35 anal fin rays.

On December 5, 1678 the County of Reschio was purchased by the Duke of Acquasparta for the sum of 25000 scudi. Cimarra, contractor of the Gabella del Macinato (grain and flour taxes) of the Towns, Countryside and Castles of the District of Rome, was indebted with the Apostolic Chamber by the sum of approximately 30000 scutes and therefore forced to sell the propriety of Reschio.

The caudal fin is forked and homocercal (upper and lower lobes of equal length). The dorsal fin contains at least 8 fin rays. The anal fin is larger than the dorsal fin and also bears at least 8 rays. The scales vary greatly in size and shape, with a series of large plate-like scutes along the dorsal and ventral midline behind the dorsal and anal fin.

The lateral line is strongly curved anteriorly, with a section of 6 to 11 scutes toward the tail. Juveniles and often adults have long, filamentous trailing first anal and dorsal fin spines, a trait of all members of Alectis. The species grows to at least 1 m in length. The African threadfish is silver in colour, often with blue and greenish tints and reflection, especially when fresh.

Animantarx ( ; meaning 'living citadel') is a genus of nodosaurid ankylosaurian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of western North America. Like other nodosaurs, it would have been a slow-moving quadrupedal herbivore covered in heavy armor scutes, but without a tail club. The skull measures approximately 25 cm (10 inches) in length, suggesting the animal as a whole was no more than 3 meters (10 feet) long.

The curved section of the lateral line contains around 50 scales while the straight section 26 to 32 strong scutes. The caudal peduncle also has paired bilateral keels. The chest is completely covered in scales, which like the rest of the body are small and cycloid in nature. The species has 23 to 30 gill rakers in total and there are 24 vertebrae present.

Head and body length is , which combines with the tail, for a total length of . They stand tall at the top of the shell.Burnie D and Wilson DE (Eds.) (2005) Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife. DK Adult, The outer shell is composed of ossified dermal scutes covered by nonoverlapping, keratinized epidermal scales, which are connected by flexible bands of skin.

Although there are some bristly hairs around the margins of the scutes, the tail and underside of the animal are hairless. The armour covers the back of the neck and extends onto the head between the ears. Smaller and thinner scales are also found on the cheeks and the outer surface of the ears. The snout is relatively short, and the ears large and funnel-like.

Nanchangosaurus resembled a cross between an ichthyosaur and a crocodilian. It had a fusiform body, similar to a dolphin or an ichthyosaur, paddle-like limbs, with forelimbs being larger than hindlimbs, and a crocodilian-like tail for swimming through the water. It had bony scutes on its back, like an alligator, but had a long snout filled with teeth, like an ichthyosaur or a river dolphin.

Perhaps a row of vertical osteoderms was present on the upper arms. Compared to the later Ankylosauria, Scelidosaurus was lightly armoured, without continuous plating, spikes or pelvic shield. Rough areas on the skull and lower jaws indicate the presence of skin ossifications. Some of the latest specimens found show partly different osteoderms including scutes on which the keel is more like a thorn or spike.

If the female stops, the male may either wait for her to resume moving or leave. Males make loud 'clucking' sounds during the chase. After trailing, the male mounts the female, his feet planted on the costals of her carapace, rams his anal scutes against her supracaudal, and makes a loud raspy 'bark'. If the female resumes walking, he may fall off and resume trailing.

The arched, elliptical carapace (to 23 cm) is widest behind the middle and unserrated posteriorly. The medial keel is prominent with a strong spinelike posterior projection on the 3rd vertebral. Vertebrals 2 and 5 are broader than long, while 1, 3, and 4 are longer than broad. Vertebral 3 is posteriorly pointed while the 4th is anteriorly pointed, making the seam between these two scutes very short.

On the bridge, the inguinal and axillary scutes are nearly equal in length, or the inguinal is slightly larger. Plastron and bridge are yellow with at least two black elongated blotches on each scute, except the gulars and anals which have only a single blotch. The head is moderate in size with a projecting, short, pointed snout. Its upper jaw is not medially notched.

Walker, A., 1964, "Triassic reptiles from the Elgin area: Ornithosuchus and the origin of carnosaurs", Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 248: 53-134 The name Lametasaurus now designated the scutes only and was generally considered to represent a member of the Nodosauridae. The pelvis and hindlimb bones have in 2003 been suggested to belong to Rajasaurus.J.A. Wilson, P.C. Sereno, S. Srivastava, D.K. Bhatt, A. Khosla and A. Sahni, 2003, "A new abelisaurid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Lameta Formation (Cretaceous, Maastrichtian) of India", Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan 31(1): 1-42 In 2008 Matthew Carrano e.a. discarded the possibility the scutes were ankylosaurian, stating they were probably titanosaurian or perhaps abelisaurid, in which latter case the species would possibly not have been a chimera in the first place and be a possible senior synonym of Indosaurus and/or Rajasaurus.

Marginals 1, 2, and 8-10 are slightly expanded but not flared, and 3-7 are often slightly upturned. The carapace is highest just behind the center and broadest at the level of the anterior part of the eighth marginals; its posterior rim may be weakly serrated. The carapace is dark to blackish brown, but may be light brown in some. Juveniles often have lighter brown radiations on their carapacial scutes.

There is limited sexual dimorphism with the tail of the female being marginally shorter than that of the male. The most accurate way to differentiate between sexes is to compare the distance between the anal scutes of the plastron and the cloacae. In males, the cloacae is located further away from the plastron than in females. Most other short-necked turtles in Australia show obvious differences in tail length and thickness.

It is found in rivers and estuaries in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Myanmar (also known as Burma) and the Persian Gulf area where it can be found in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in and around Iran and southern Iraq. It has no dorsal spines but 18 – 21 dorsal soft rays and anal soft rays. The belly has 30 to 33 scutes. There is a distinct median notch in the upper jaw.

A reconstruction of the head Relatively small by sauropod standards, Malawisaurus reached lengths of about , and weighed about . In 2020 it was given a smaller estimation of 11 meters (36 ft) and 2.8 tonnes (3.1 short tons). Like some other titanosaurs, ossicles have been found which are believed to represent dermal scutes that covered the skin. The vertebrae from the middle part of its tail had elongated centra.

The generic name is derived from Greek πίναξ, pinax, "plank", in reference to the small rectangular scutes covering the head. The specific name honours Granger, who accompanied the 1923 expedition as a paleontologist. The holotype, AMNH 6523, was found in a layer of the Djadokhta Formation, dating from the Campanian. It consists of a partially crushed skull, lower jaws, the first two neck vertebrae, and dermal bones collected in 1923.

Accessed January 8, 2010. This spike is especially noticeable in desmatosuchines such as Longosuchus and Desmatosuchus. Osteoderms are useful in diagnosing aetosaur taxa, and aetosaur species can often be identified from individual scutes based on their ornamentation pattern. Model of Stagonolepis at the Museum of Evolution Warsaw Primitive genera, like the widespread Norian genus Aetosaurus and the Carnian Coahomasuchus, tended to be small, about a metre (3.2 ft) in length.

Aetosaurs have also been found from India, which, along with South America, was part of Gondwana during the Late Triassic. Early descriptions of aetosaurs included material from the Maleri Formation in south-central India, although it was too inadequate to assign specimens to any particular genus. Based on such descriptions, the Indian aetosaurs most closely resemble Longosuchus and Paratypothorax. Reports of aetosaurs from Madagascar are based on probable crocodylomorph scutes.

A fossil of Casineria, which may have been the earliest amniote. Reptiles arose about 310–320 million years ago during the Carboniferous period. Reptiles, in the traditional sense of the term, are defined as animals that have scales or scutes, lay land-based hard-shelled eggs, and possess ectothermic metabolisms. So defined, the group is paraphyletic, excluding endothermic animals like birds and mammals that are descended from early reptiles.

The area between all these larger elements was covered by small ossicles, round bony scutes with a diameter of up to two centimetres, hundreds of which have been discovered. G. lorriemcwhinneyae differs from G. burgei in having a flat skull roof, shorter and narrower paroccipital processes, a postacetabular process that is only 36% the length of the preacetabular process, and an ischium that has an unkinked, smooth bottom edge.

These remains were fragments of the skull, vertebrae, teeth, and scutes. In 1964, an almost complete skull was found in Niger by the French CEA, but it was not until 1997 and 2000 that most of its anatomy became known to science, when an expedition led by the American paleontologist Paul Sereno discovered six new specimens, including one with about half the skeleton intact and most of the spine.

In Knightia fish, rows of dorsal and ventral scutes run from the back of the head to the medial fins. They had heavy scales and small conical teeth. Their size varied by species: Knightia eocaena was the longest, growing up to 25 cm (10 in), though most specimens are no larger than 15 cm. K. alta was shorter and relatively wider, with specimens averaging between 6 and 10 cm.

Sea turtle shells are an ideal habitat for adult barnacles for three reasons. Sea turtles tend to live long lives, greater than 70 years, so barnacles do not have to worry about host death. However, mortality in sea turtle barnacles is often driven by their host shedding the scutes on which the barnacle is attached, rather than the death of the sea turtle itself. Secondly, barnacles are suspension feeders.

Their well-developed Weberian apparatus and reduced gas bladder allow for improved hearing as well as sound production. Catfish do not have scales; their bodies are often naked. In some species, the mucus-covered skin is used in cutaneous respiration, where the fish breathes through its skin. In some catfish, the skin is covered in bony plates called scutes; some form of body armor appears in various ways within the order.

Henodus, like many other placodonts, had a superficial resemblance to a turtle. Like turtles, it had a shell formed from a plastron on the underside and a carapace on top. The carapace extended well beyond the limbs, and was made up of individual plates of bony scutes covered by plates of horn. However, the shell was composed of many more pieces of bone than that of turtles, forming a mosaic pattern.

The Vallarta mud turtle (Kinosternon vogti) is a recently identified species of mud turtle in the family Kinosternidae. While formerly considered conspecific with the Jalisco mud turtle, further studies indicated that it was a separate species. It can be identified by a combination of the number of plastron and carapace scutes, body size, and the distinctive yellow rostral shield in males. It is endemic to Mexican state of Jalisco.

The Moab Member of the Entrada Sandstone represents an inland dune (eolian) setting. The skull of CU-MWC 183-11 is distinguished by the width of the posterior portion. Approximately 42 pairs of scutes ran down the midline of the back. The first pair behind the skull were square, but those on the back and tail were rectangular and had short spiny projections on their posterior outside corners.

Bradysaurus was a large, early and common pareiasaur, the fossils of which are known from the Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone (Capitanian age) of the South African Karoo. Along with the similarly large dinocephalia, the bradysaurs constituted the herbivorous megafauna of the late Middle Permian Period. In life they were probably slow, clumsy and inoffensive animals, that had evolved a covering of armoured scutes to protect them against their predators, the gorgonopsians.

The bumps probably represent clusters of condensed scutes, similar to those seen on the soft frill running along the body midline in hadrosaurid ("duck-billed") dinosaurs. Stephen Czerkas (1997) suggested that these structures may have protected the animal's sides while fighting members of the same species (conspecifics) and other theropods, arguing that similar structures can be found on the neck of the modern iguana where they provide limited protection in combat.

Detail of Propalaehoplophorus scutes, early Miocene, in the permanent collection of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Glyptodonts were grazing herbivores. Like many other xenarthrans, they had no incisor or canine teeth, but had a number of cheek teeth that would have been able to grind up tough vegetation, such as grasses. They also had distinctively deep jaws, with large downward bony projections that would have anchored their powerful chewing muscles.

The tarsometatarsus and toes of most birds are covered in two types of scales. Large scutes run along the dorsal side of the tarsometatarsus and toes, whereas smaller scutellae run along the sides. Both structures share histochemical homology with reptilian scales, however work on their evolutionary development has revealed that the scales in bird feet have secondarily evolved via suppression of the feather-building genetic program.Sawyer, R.H., Knapp, L.W. 2003.

The lateral line has a slight, extended anterior curve, with this curved section being longer than the posterior straight section. The straight section of the lateral line has 22 to 28 scutes, with rest of the body being covered in smooth cycloid scales, and the chest being completely scaled. The caudal peduncle has bilateral paired keels present. There are 24 vertebrae and a total of 24 to 30 gill rakers.

The anal fin has two spines followed by a single spine and 18 or 19 soft rays. The pectoral fin is long and curved, extending beyond the junction of the straight and curved sections of the lateral line. Anterior to the caudal fin are two oblate keels on each side of the line of scutes. The body appears to be scaleless, but on closer inspection has minute, deeply embedded scales.

Coombs, W.P., Jr. & T. Maryańska (1990), "Ankylosauria" in: D.B. Weishampel, P. Dodson, & H. Osmólka (eds), The Dinosauria. University of California Press, pp. 456-483 Some believed it might actually be a specimen of another ankylosaur, Shamosaurus. However, in 2014 Victoria Megan Arbour discovered a clear unique trait, autapomorphy: the sacral or pelvic shield shows rosettes with a large central osteoderm surrounded by a single ring of smaller scutes.

The species is easily distinguished by its black to grey fins and jet black scutes, with the head having a steep profile near the snout. The largest recorded length is 1 m and weight of 17.9 kg. The black jack lives either individually or in small schools, and is known to school with other species. It is a predatory fish, taking a variety of fish, crustaceans and molluscs as prey.

Despite the latter common name, it does not occur in the island of Leyte but is instead native to the Palawan island group. It is locally known as bakoko in Cuyonon. Philippine forest turtles are readily recognizable by their ginkgo-shaped vertebral scutes and a pale white to yellow line traversing across its head behind the ears. The previous characteristic has earned it the nickname of 'bowtie turtle'.

It possesses deep notches between the projecting gular scutes as well as between the gulars and humerals, but it is more distinct in the former. Its plastral formula is abd > pect > fem > gul > hum > an. The skin of the legs, body, and neck are rough in appearance, being covered in tiny tubercles. The head is brown in color, sometimes speckled at the temples with light brown, orange, or red spots.

It has two separate dorsal fins, the first having 8 spines with the second having a single spine and 28 to 32 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 detached spines to its front followed by a single spine and 24 to 28 soft rays. The pectoral fins are as long or longer than the length of the head. The scales in the lateral line and large and form scutes.

It has two separate dorsal fins, the first having 8 spines with the second having a single spine and 28 to 35 soft rays. The anal fin has 2 detached spines to its front followed by a single spine and 24 to 30 soft rays. The pectoral fins are as long or longer than the length of the head. The scales in the lateral line and large and form scutes.

Most parts of the skeleton are represented, but are fragmentary, and only the skull, lower jaw, pelvis, thigh bone, and bony scutes received detailed description. Kayentasuchus had a tall, narrow snout and a flattened "skull table" at the back of the skull as in more derived crocodyliforms. The lower jaw was slender at the tip and curved upward. The teeth were nearly conical, but had distinct unserrated anterior and posterior edges.

The anal fin consists of 2 detached spines anteriorly followed by 1 spine and 17 or 18 soft rays. Both the anal and dorsal fins are elongate, with the dorsal lobe being over twice the length of the head. The pectoral fin is falcate, and also longer than the head. The lateral line has a short, strong anterior arch, with 40 to 45 scutes on the straight posterior section.

The anal fin has two spines followed by a single spine and 15 or 16 soft rays. The pectoral fin is long and curved, extending beyond the junction of the straight and curved sections of the lateral line. The body appears to be scaleless, but on closer inspection has minute, deeply embedded scales. The lateral line is strongly curved anteriorly, with a section of 6 to 11 scutes toward the tail.

Most members of the family Dissorophidae also have armor, although it only covers the midline of the back with two narrow rows of plates. Other temnospondyls, such as Eryops, have been found with small, disc-like bony scutes that were in life probably embedded in the skin. All of these temnospondyls were adapted to a terrestrial lifestyle. Armor may have offered protection from predators in the case of Peltobatrachus.

The regrowth of the tail is not always complete and is made of a solid rod of cartilage rather than individual vertebrae. In snakes, the tail separates between vertebrae and some do not experience regrowth. Third, the scales in lepidosaurs are horny (keratinized) structures of the epidermis, allowing them to be shed collectively, contrary to the scutes seen in other reptiles. This is done in different cycles, depending on the species.

The former lies just back of the head, in the region of the fore legs, and consists of four larger and a number of smaller plates. The latter, or dorsal shield, extends over the back in fairly regular longitudinal rows and quite regular transverse rows. At the widest part of the trunk there are six or eight of these scutes in one transverse row. They become smaller towards the tail.

The more advanced, smaller therapsids could have had a combination of hair and scutes, a combination still found in some modern mammals, such as rodents and the opossum. The high interspecific variability of the size, color, and microstructure of hair often enables the identification of species based on single hair filaments. Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) in a zoo. In varying degrees most mammals have some skin areas without natural hair.

On a log among aquatic vegetation The spots on spotted turtles vary greatly throughout their range. They can have up to a hundred spots, while some have no spots at all. Spotted turtles shed their scutes in small pieces occasionally resulting in completely smooth shelled specimens. These are very intelligent turtles and have been tested like the wood turtles in mazes and have been proven to have the brain capacity of a mouse.

Unlike most pseudosuchians, poposauroids lack bony scutes known as osteoderms. The only exception to this is Qianosuchus, which possessed numerous tiny osteoderms, lying in a row extending down the neck and body. In all poposauroids, the tip of the fibula (outer shin bone) is symmetrical and straight when seen from the side, rather than slanted as in other non- crocodylomorph pseudosuchians. Poposauroids more advanced than ctenosauriscids had flattened, "hoof-like" pedal unguals (toe claws).

According to the kosher certification agency of the Orthodox Union, a fish is kosher if the scales can be removed without tearing its skin.Verifying Kosher Fish OU Kosher Certification. Retrieved 9 August 2019. Thus carp and salmon are kosher, whereas a shark, whose scales are microscopic, a sturgeon, whose scutes can not be easily removed without cutting them out of the body, and swordfish, which lose their scales as an adult, are all not kosher.

Cartilaginous fishes (sharks and rays) are covered with placoid scales. Some species are covered instead by scutes, and others have no outer covering on part or all of the skin. Fish scales are part of the fish's integumentary system, and are produced from the mesoderm layer of the dermis, which distinguishes them from reptile scales. The same genes involved in tooth and hair development in mammals are also involved in scale development.

Greater amberjacks, Seriola dumerili, are the largest of the jacks. They usually have dark stripes extending from nose to in front of their dorsal fins. They have no scutes and soft dorsal bases less than twice the length of the anal fin bases. They are usually 18 kg (40 pounds) or less, and are found associated with rocky reefs, debris, and wrecks, typically in 20 to 75 m (10 to 40 fathoms).

It is a small schooling fish found in depth of 20-50m in most of the tropical areas of the Indo-pacific oceans including Madagascar and Mauritius eastward and towards Australia and further east to Samoa in westwards. Maximum length do not exceed 15.5 cm. It has 15 to 17 dorsal soft rays and 18 to 21 anal soft rays. There are 2 to 6 small needle-like scutes on the belly region.

Internal anterior carapace of Elseya dentata. Pe = Peripheral, P1 = Pleural 1, BCS = Bridge Carapace Suture. The turtle shell is made up of numerous bony elements, generally named after similar bones in other vertebrates, and a series of keratinous scutes which are also uniquely named. Some of those bones that make the top of the shell, carapace, evolved from the scapula rami of the clavicles along with the dorsal and superficial migration of the cleithra.

Cutaneous dyskeratosis (CD) is a shell disease of unknown origin and has unknown implications on desert tortoise populations. Observationally, it is typified by shell lesions on the scutes. Areas infected with CD appear discolored, dry, rough and flakey, with peeling, pitting, and chipping through multiple cornified layers. Lesions are usually first located on the plastron (underside) of the tortoises, although lesions on the carapace (upper side) and fore limbs are not uncommon.

The orientation of the dorsal paramedian scutes of Redondasuchus has been disputed. Originally, it was thought that the angled part of the scute was two thirds the way down from the medial edge. The holotype of R. reseri was identified as a left paramedian based on the position of a bar that was known to lie on the anterior edge of the scute in other aetosaurs. However, a more recent study by Spielmann et al.

Advanced doswelliids possessed dorsal ribs which splay outwards (rather than downwards), making their bodies wide and low. Doswelliids were armored with multiple rows of bony scutes (osteoderms) on their backs. With the exception of Vancleavea, which had many different forms of smooth osteoderms, doswelliid osteoderms were characteristically covered by deep, circular pits. There is also a smooth area (an anterior articular lamina) on the front edge of each osteoderm where the preceding osteoderm overlaps.

Anaspids are characterized by a large, tri-radiate spine (red) posteriorly to the series of branchial openings. Typical anaspids are restricted to the Silurian but some doubtful forms occur in the Late Devonian. It is assumed that the most primitive anaspids, such as Pharyngolepis (top), possessed a long, ribbon-shaped, ventrolateral fin-fold (green). More advanced forms, such as Rhyncholepis (bottom), possessed a shorter paired fin-fold (green) and enlarged, spine-shaped, median dorsal scutes.

The exhibit received special recognition at the 2014 AZA Honors and Awards event. Australia Walkabout: This exhibit contains a walk-through red-necked wallaby yard, a budgie aviary, emus, American alligators, shelducks, White's tree frogs, Matschie's tree kangaroo, and other species. Scutes Family Gallery was originally built in the early 1940s and formally known as the Bird and Reptile House. It contains over 40 species of reptiles including Burmese pythons, lizards, snakes, tortoises and turtles.

Some paleontologists considered that pareiasaurs were direct ancestors of modern turtles. Pareiasaur skulls have several turtle-like features, and in some species the scutes have developed into bony plates, possibly the precursors of a turtle shell. Jalil and Janvier, in a large analysis of pareiasaur relationships, also found turtles to be close relatives of the "dwarf" pareiasaurs, such as Pumiliopareia. However, the discovery of Pappochelys argues against a potential pareisaurian relationship to turtles.

Doedicurus and Glyptodon by Robert Bruce Horsfall Glyptodonts possessed a tortoise-like body armour, made of bony deposits in their skin called osteoderms or scutes. Each species of glyptodont had a unique osteoderm pattern and shell type. With this protection, they were armored like turtles; glyptodonts could not withdraw their heads, but their armoured skin formed a bony cap on the top of their skull. Glyptodont tails had a ring of bones for protection.

Silesaurus and Polonosuchus models in Poland Five dermal scutes were found in close proximity to the caudal vertebrae, indicating that they are probably from the tail. The two largest are rectangular and have articulatory processes, indicating that they would have overlapped and linked together. The three smaller plates are leaf-shaped and their articulatory processes are in a different place, indicating the presence of at least two distinct rows of medial dermal armour.

A posterior adipose eyelid is well developed and reaches almost to the center of the eye, and the jaws are filled with fine teeth. The first dorsal fin has 8 spines, and the second dorsal has one spine and 24-26 soft rays. The anal fin has two separate spines posterior to the main anal fin which consists of one spine and 20 to 22 soft rays. There are 51-70 moderately protrusive scutes.

The wood turtle (Glyptemys insculpta) is a species of turtle endemic to North America. It is in the genus Glyptemys, a genus which contains only one other species of turtle: the bog turtle (Glyptemys muhlenbergii ). The wood turtle reaches a straight carapace length of , its defining characteristic being the pyramidal shape of the scutes on its upper shell. Morphologically, it is similar to the bog turtle, spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), and Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii).

Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. . p. 120. They were all rather lizard-like, with sprawling gait and possibly horny scutes. The therapsids contain the more advanced synapsids, having a more erect pose and possibly hair, at least in some forms. In traditional taxonomy, the Synapsida encompasses two distinct grades successively closer to mammals: the low-slung pelycosaurs have given rise to the more erect therapsids, who in their turn have given rise to the mammals.

This species is sometimes confused with the Karoo padloper (H. boulengeri) which inhabits the Karoo region to the west. However greater padlopers can be distinguished not only by their larger size, but also by their nostrils which are below their eye level, by their having four toes on both their front and back feet, by the larger scales on their forelimbs, and by the darker rings around the shell scutes of many individuals.E.H.W. Baard (1994).

The lateral line has a moderate, regular arch anteriorly, which is roughly equal in length to the straight posterior section. The straight section has no to 15 scales followed by 40 to 52 small scutes. The breast is devoid of scales ventrally to behind the pelvic fin origin and diagonally up to the pectoral fin base. Both jaws contain uniform bands of small, weak teeth becoming wider posteriorly and irregular conical outer teeth in adults.

The skin of the fish appears scaleless, but has minute, embedded scales scattered on the body. The lateral line has a strong and moderately long arch dorsally, with its posterior section having 12 to 30 scutes. The juveniles are distinctive due to their 'threadfin' appearance of having trailing anal and dorsal fin filaments which recede with age. During maturation, the species also becomes more elongate and more like that of other genera of jacks.

Plastron view of a young red-footed tortoise from Brazil, also called 'cherryhead' The southern variants' carapaces are often not quite black to dark brown, sometimes with light grey or whitish between the scutes. Their plastrons are mostly dark in a symmetrical mottled pattern. Size tends to be larger on average then northeastern variants, with the largest individuals found in this area. Fore limbs feature a slightly enlarged scale on the side of the 'elbow'.

It consists of the complete skull with lower jaws, the cervical vertebrae, some dorsal vertebrae and some ribs. Part of the bony armour scutes or osteoderms were preserved. Later two more large specimens were found, again containing skulls but also providing some information about the shoulder girdle and front limbs: ROM 1215Sternberg, C.M., 1921, "A supplementary study of Panoplosaurus mirus", Transactions of the Royal Society of Canada, Third Series 4: 93-102 and RTMP 83.25.2.

Scutes may play a role in calcium storage for eggshell formation. At the time of hatching, the young start calling within the eggs. They have an egg-tooth at the tip of their snouts, which is developed from the skin, and that helps them pierce out of the shell. Hearing the calls, the female usually excavates the nest and sometimes takes the unhatched eggs in her mouth, slowly rolling the eggs to help the process.

Other features found in choristoderes include heavily ossified gastralia and modified distal limbs, not just the manus and pes, used as paddles. In addition, champsosaur ribs are short and massive, as in other aquatic reptiles. The thorax is dorso-ventrally flattened, and the tail is laterally compressed to aid in swimming. Skin impressions found with champsosaur fossils show non-overlapping scales of very small size and the skin containing no scutes like those found in crocodilians (see crocodile exoskeleton).

The rear of the carapace is flared and the rear marginals form serrations. The plastron is yellowish and is marked by a central dark blotch (plastral figure) that follows the sutures of the plastral scutes and fades with age so that many adults lack a pattern all together (i.e., the plastron is immaculate). The head, neck, limbs and tail are dark green with thin yellow stripes, and an oval or triangular spot is located behind each eye.

The anal fin has detached spines preceding a long soft ray section headed by up to two spines. The caudal fin is large and forked and the pectoral fin is large, usually longer than the head. All species have scutes on the posterior section of their lateral lines. The genus is defined as having gill rakers of normal length and shape, with a total number of gill rakers between 21 and 37 on the first gill arch.

Mouth and teeth of Panaque nigrolineatus Like other members of the armoured catfish family (Loricariidae), all Panaque have sturdy, armoured bodies covered in toughened plates of skin called scutes. These are not scales; like all catfish, Panaque lack scales. As well their armour, these catfish have very sturdy dorsal and pectoral fin spines. They use these defensively, either to wedge themselves into cracks from which predators cannot pull them, or else to prevent large predators from swallowing them.

The plastron (bottom shell) is yellow to reddish orange with a dark pattern between scutes that follows the scute seams (this fades with age). This distinguishes it from P. floridana, which lacks the dark marks. The stripe down the hind foot is also a major characteristic, and P. suwanniensis can be distinguished by its lack of color on the legs. Females tend to grow larger than males, and have a smaller tail and more convex plastron.

The pectoral fin is small for a carangid, about the length of the pelvic fin and is not falcate, with 20 rays. The pelvic fin consists of one spine and five branched soft rays. The caudal fin is also highly diagnostic, being deeply forked and consisting of 17 caudal rays, 9 dorsally and 8 ventrally. The lateral line has a slight anterior arch and no scutes are present on the line, but possesses about 100 scales.

Warm incubation temperatures tend to produce more females, while cooler temperatures result in more males. Its growth patterns are similar to other species of box turtles. Juvenile turtles have shorter and wider scutes and carapaces when compared to adults, but these lengthen as the individual grows. Growth rates are rapid in juveniles, slow down significantly following sexual maturity, and eventually level off completely a few years later (around 16 and 17 years in females and males respectively).

Snakes, like other reptiles, have skin covered in scales.Boulenger, George A. 1890 The Fauna of British India. p. 1 Snakes are entirely covered with scales or scutes of various shapes and sizes, known as snakeskin as a whole. A scale protects the body of the snake, aids it in locomotion, allows moisture to be retained within, alters the surface characteristics such as roughness to aid in camouflage, and in some cases even aids in prey capture (such as Acrochordus).

Kayentachelys is known from several dozen specimens preserving elements from both the cranial and postcranial skeleton. As originally diagnosed, Kayentachelys possesses pterygoid teeth and a ventrally-exposed prootic, both of which are ancestral amniote features. Ancestral turtle features of the shell include nine costal scutes and an epiplastron with a dorsal process. Derived features shared with early turtles like Proterochersis and cryptodirans include an antrum postoticum of the squamosal, a fused basipterygoid articulation, and 11 peripheral osteoderms.

The yellow-spotted Amazon river turtlePodocnemis unifilis, Reptile Database or yellow-spotted river turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) is one of the largest South American river turtles. It can grow up to 45 cm long and weigh up to 8 kg. This species can be recognized by its black or brown oval carapace (upper shell) with distinctive low keels on the second and third scutes. Yellow spots on the side of its head give this species its common name.

This is because it gives a sense of depth to Boulle Work. The initial processing of tortoiseshell involves separating the layers of the scutes from the animal's carapace by heating, and softening the plates by boiling them, in salt water, and thereafter flattening them under a press. Although two pieces could be fused together by use of a hot iron, great care had to be taken not to lose the colour. Finishing and polishing was done by various techniques.

The dorsal and anal fin lobes are slightly elongated on the species, which distinguishes from the similar crevalle jack. The anal fin consists of 2 detached spines anterior to the main bulk of the fin, which consists of 1 spine followed by 17 to 19 soft rays. The lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with this section containing 50 to 73 scales, while the straight section has 0 to 16 scales and 24 to 41 scutes.

Aquarium du Québec Rather than having true scales, the Atlantic sturgeon has five rows of bony plates known as scutes. Specimens weighing over 800 lb and nearly 15 ft in length have been recorded, but they typically grow to be and no more than . Its coloration ranges from bluish-black and olive green on its back to white on its underside. It has a longer snout than other sturgeons and has four barbels at the side of its mouth.

The northern naked-tailed armadillo is relatively small for an armadillo, with adults measuring in length, with an tail, and weighing from . They have a short, broad, snout, large, funnel-shaped ears, and small eyes. Unlike other armadillos with which they might be confused, they have no scales on the backs of their ears. The upper body is covered in multiple, squarish scutes, that are arranged in ten to thirteen bands which allow the animal some flexibility.

The Ukrainian stickleback (Pungitius platygaster) also known as the Caspian ninespine stickleback, southern ninespine stickleback, and Aral ninespine stickleback, is a species of fish in the family Gasterosteidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Ukraine (Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Aral Sea and Caspian Sea basins). A combination of two characters: lack of caudal peduncle keel, presence of large lateral scutes. It is similar to P. hellenicus with the following differences.

M. nheco is like other doradids. It has three pairs of barbels (one pair maxillary, two pairs mental), strong dorsal and pectoral fin spines. M. nheco is differentiated from all other doradids by having its scutes with thorns directed ventrally in adults, and from all doradids except Physopyxis cristata by having an incomplete lateral line. It has a smooth dorsal fin spine, as opposed to a serrated one; the only other genus with smooth dorsal fin spines is Anadoras.

The pectoral fins are positioned low, while the pelvic fins are along with the abdominal position. Prominent features of the shortnose sturgeon are the scutes, protractile tube-like mouth, and chemosensory barbels. Sturgeon tend to be long-lived, slow-maturing, and spawn infrequently, which have served the species well through evolutionary time but poorly to anthropogenic impacts like overharvesting, habitat loss, and degradation. Potential predators of the shortnose sturgeon include alligators, sharks, and other large fish such as catfish.

At maturity, males, who reach a maximum straight carapace length of , are larger than females, who have been recorded to reach . Males also have larger claws, a larger head, a concave plastron, a more dome-like carapace, and longer tails than females. The plastron of females and juveniles is flat while in males it gains concavity with age. The posterior marginal scutes of females and juveniles (of either sex) radiate outward more than in mature males.

The lateral line has a moderate anterior arch, with the straight and arched sections being nearly equal in length. The straight part of the lateral line has 4 to 12 scales followed by 23 to 34 scutes. The breast is nearly completely scaled, occasionally having a partially naked midventral area, which rarely extends the entire length of the breast. In the western population, all individuals have this narrow naked midventral area extending the entire length of the breast.

Phytosaurs were even better armoured than crocodiles, protected by heavy bony scutes (often found as fossils), and the belly reinforced with a dense arrangement of gastralia (abdominal ribs). Finally, and most noticeably, phytosaurs had nostrils placed near or above the level of the eyes, in contrast to crocodiles where the nostrils are near the end of the snout. This adaptation may have developed to allow them to breathe while the rest of the body was submerged.

Fossil evidence shows that the skin of even the most primitive coelurosaurs was covered primarily in feathers. Fossil traces of feathers, though rare, have been found in members of most major coelurosaurian lineages. Most coelurosaurs also retained scales and scutes on some portion of their bodies, particularly the feet, though some primitive coelurosaurian species are known to have had scales on the upper legs and portions of the tail as well. These include tyrannosauroids, Juravenator, and Scansoriopteryx.

Its hindlimbs are relatively long for an ankylosaur, with a right femur length of 555 millimetres with the holotype. In 2011 Barrett e.a. indicated two possible unique traits, autapomorphies: the floor of the neural canal is deeply cut by a groove with a V-shaped transverse profile; the caudal spikes have triangular bases in side view and narrow points. Tibia, vertebra and scutes The subsequent describers have always dedicated much effort at restoring the armour configuration.

On a turtle's shell, the greatest water flow is over the front central portion. It has been shown that C. testudinaria can relocate on the turtle's shell, usually towards the optimal position with maximum water flow and thus the greatest filter feeding opportunities. The movement is around or less per day and is probably achieved by advancing the shell forward with each increment of growth. Over several months, several scutes can be crossed by these means.

Glyptodon skeleton and shell in Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin Glyptodon carapace in Hungarian Natural History Museum It was covered by a protective shell composed of more than 1,000 2.5 cm-thick bony plates, called osteoderms or scutes. Each species of glyptodont had its own unique osteoderm pattern and shell type. With this protection, they were armored like turtles. Unlike most turtles, glyptodonts could not withdraw their heads, but instead had a bony cap on the top of their skull.

The postcranial skeleton is nearly completely known in Riojasuchus, incomplete in Ornithosuchus, and entirely unknown in Venaticosuchus. As a result, it is uncertain whether all of the postcranial traits seemingly unique to ornithosuchids actually occurred in all members of the family. Ornithosuchids known from decent postcranial remains typically had about 9 cervical (neck), 14-15 dorsal (back), 3 sacral (hip), and over 20 caudal (tail) vertebrae. Above each vertebra was a pair of bony scutes known as osteoderms.

The roughhead grenadier can reach a length of one metre (yard). The head occupies about one quarter of the total length of the fish, it has a slender body and long tapering tail. There are some bony spiny scutes or scales on the upper side of the head but the lower side is scaleless. The snout is pointed and the small mouth is set far back on the lower side of the head with a short barbel underneath.

In adults, only the posterior marginal scutes are serrated. Adults of Cyclemys also develop a joint in the middle of their plastrons (known as a plastral hinge), enabling them to articulate the front and rear halves to some extent. Unlike the closely related Cuora, which can completely close its shell because of the hinge, Cyclemys plastral hinges only close the shell partially. The plastral hinge may also play a significant role in facilitating egg-laying in adult females.

The smooth-fronted caiman is not extensively hunted because its skin contains many bony scutes, which make it of little use for leather. The animals are collected in Guyana, however, for the pet trade. The main threats to this species are destruction of its forest habitat and pollution of its environment by gold mining activities. Over one million individuals are estimated to remain in the wild, and the species is rated by the IUCN as being of least concern.

The lateral line has a gentle anterior arch which is slightly longer than the straight section of the lateral line, with the intersection below the sixteenth to twentieth soft ray of the dorsal fin. The curved section contains 78 to 80 scales while the straight section consists of 15 to 19 scales and 21 to 27 scutes. The breast is scaleless until the origin of the pelvic fins and up to the origin of the pectoral fins.

These lighter shells have large spaces called fontanelles between the shell bones. The shells of leatherback sea turtles are extremely light because they lack scutes and contain many fontanelles. Jackson (2002) suggested that the turtle shell can function as a pH buffer. To endure through anoxic conditions, such as winter periods beneath ice or within anoxic mud at the bottom of ponds, turtles utilize two general physiological mechanisms: their shell releases carbonate buffers and uptakes lactic acid.

Sardinella pacifica is a species of marine fish of the sardines in the family Clupeidae belonging to the genus Sardinella, which is endemic to the waters around the Philippines. This species was first described in 2019, with 21 preserved specimens, discovered and known only in the Philippines. It is characterized with centrally discontinuous striae in its lateral scales, dorsal fin origin with a dark spot, lower gill rakers which is more than 70 on the first gill arch, eight rays of the pelvic fin, and 17-18 prepelvic and 12-13 postpelvic scutes, all of which it closely resembled that of Sardinella fimbriata. However, the two species differs in that, S. pacifica have lower count of lateral scales (38-41 compared to S. fimbriata, 44-46), lower count of pseudobranchial filaments(14-19 compared to S. fimbriata, 19-22), postpelvic scutes(12-13 compared to S. fimbriata, 13-14), and shorter lower jaw(10.4–11.6% of standard length compared to that of S. fimbriata which is 11.1–12.2% of standard length).

Further down the tail, they acquire chevrons and fuse to the caudal ribs, as well as becoming smaller and simpler in general. The dorsal ribs were two-headed, with concave and convex joints corresponding to the convex and concave rib facets of the vertebrae. They were flattened near the vertebrae, and at their tips they had small facets for attachment to the densely packed gastralia (belly ribs). Several groups of osteoderms (plate-like bony scutes) were also preserved in Nundasuchus.

Owen in 1878 also assumed some fossilised scutes, of a type for which he coined the name "granicones", belonged to Nuthetes but these were in 2002 shown to be limb or tail osteoderms of a turtle, possibly "Helochelydra" anglica or "H." bakewelli. In 2006 a tooth from France found in Charente, specimen CHEm03.537, was referred to a Nuthetes sp. Some large specimens referred to Nuthetes may instead belong to Dromaeosauroides. The genus Nuthetes contains one species (the type species), Nuthetes destructor.

However, aetosaur remains were still being confused with those of phytosaurs. During this time, aetosaurs were usually considered to be members of Pseudosuchia, a now obsolete group consisting of various Triassic archosaurs including phytosaurs. However, similarities were often observed between aetosaurs and Crocodilia, the group to which aetosaurs were initially referred in the 19th century. While the skull had many features in common with pseudosuchians, parts of the postcranial skeleton, in particular the scutes, seemed to be similar to those of crocodilians.

Longosuchus is the only aetosaur known from Africa, with scutes having been found from the late Carnian Timesgadiouine Formation in Morocco. During the Late Triassic, Morocco would have been in close proximity with the Newark Supergroup of North America in the supercontinent of Pangaea. It is also possible that Desmatosuchus was present in Africa, as fossils have been found from the Zarzaitine Series in Algeria that were referred to the genus. South American aetosaurs have been found from Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.

Linnaeus named the species Scomber cordyla, placing the fish in the true mackerel genus, which was a common practice before the family Carangidae was recognised. The specific epithet is Latin for "mackerel" or "young tunny (tuna)". A second independent renaming of the species occurred in 1793 by Marcus Elieser Bloch, who assigned the name Scomber rottleri, with several later redescriptions and namings occurring up until 1874. In 1851 Pieter Bleeker reassigned Scomber rottleri to its own genus Megalaspis, meaning "large scutes".

Ankylosauridae () is a family of armored dinosaurs within Ankylosauria, and is the sister group to Nodosauridae. The oldest known Ankylosaurids date to around 122 million years ago and went extinct 66 million years ago during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. These animals were mainly herbivorous and were obligate quadrupeds, with leaf-shaped teeth and robust, scute-covered bodies. Ankylosaurids possess a distinctly domed and short snout, wedge-shaped osteoderms on their skull, scutes along their torso, and a tail club.

The pectoral fins are falcate and longer than the head, consisting of 19 to 21 soft rays. The lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, and possesses 17 to 104 scales including 23 to 29 scutes posteriorly; also having bilateral paired caudal keels present. The chest is completely scaled, which easily distinguishes it from the similar crevalle jack, Caranx hippos. The snout is moderately pointed, with both the jaws containing narrow bands of villiform teeth, with the bands becoming wider anteriorly.

Proterosuchus fergusi from the Early Triassic of South Africa They were slender, medium-sized (about 1.5 meters long), long-snouted and superficially crocodile-like animals, although they lacked the armoured scutes of true crocodiles, and their skeletal features are much more primitive. The limbs are short and indicate a sprawling posture, like contemporary lizards but unlike most later archosaurs. Their most characteristic feature is a distinct down-turning of the premaxilla (the front of the upper jaw, which overhangs the lower jaw).

The pelvic fins are thoracic, spineless, and greatly elongated; the rays are free of their membranes distally. The pectoral fins are small, short, and rounded, inserted fairly low on the body and posterior to the pelvics. The anal fin contains 1-4 spines anteriorly and 20-39 soft rays with their height, direction, origin, and terminus mirroring those of the soft dorsal fin. Along the belly are a series of spinous scutes--scales modified into hard, bony plates--forming an armoured ventral keel.

This species grows to a length of TL and to a weight of . The colour pattern of these catfish varies depending upon the location that they originate from, though they are usually a muddy-brown colour with some darker spots over the body and fins. Adults are darker and the spotting fades from juvenile coloration. There are no scales, but the skin is thick and tough; also, 23–28 shallow lateral plates known as scutes are found along the length of the body.

Armadillos have dorsal armor that is formed by osteoderms, plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping keratinized epidermal scales called "scutes". Most species have rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with three to nine bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Pampatheres also had shells that were flexible due to three movable lateral bands of osteoderms. The osteoderms of pampatheres were each covered by a single scute, unlike those of armadillos, which have more than one.

The spiny softshell turtle's scientific name is very descriptive of the animal. Apalone comes from the Greek word apalos, meaning soft or tender, and spinifera is of Latin origin; spina- referring to thorn or spine and -ifer meaning bearing. This species is a member of the family Trionychidae, and one of the most distinguishing features of members in this family is the presence of a leathery, moderately flexible carapace. This is caused by loss of keratinized scutes and some bony tissue loss.

Quintaglio hide is tough and leathery. As humans have lost most body hair, Quintaglios have lost most scales and scutes, but these may be present in individuals. Quintaglio skin is almost entirely green, although it may be freckled, mottled, or splotched with brown or yellow in some individuals, and with black in old individuals. Oddly enough, Quintaglios cannot lie; their muzzles turn blue when they say something untrue, and for this reason the colour blue is reviled among Quintaglios as "The Liars' Tint".

Echmatemys wyomingensis The Emydidae are most closely related to the tortoises (Testudinidae) and are included along with that family in the Testudinoidea. Shared features include a lack of inframarginal scutes, the shape and muscle attachment of the ilium, and the shape of the eighth cervical vertebra (biconvex). Within the Emydidae, two subfamilies were recognized along biogeographic lines. The Emydidae as understood today contain New World species (except Emys), while the former Batagurinae, today a separate family Geoemydidae, contain Old World species (except Rhinoclemmys).

They are called "softshell" because their carapaces lack horny scutes (scales), though the spiny softshell, Apalone spinifera, does have some scale-like projections, hence its name. The carapace is leathery and pliable, particularly at the sides. The central part of the carapace has a layer of solid bone beneath it, as in other turtles, but this is absent at the outer edges. Some species also have dermal bones in the plastron, but these are not attached to the bones of the shell.

Sturgeon are often called "living fossils", due to their ancient lineage and a fossil record that points to a holarctic distribution. With the earliest reported remains of North American sturgeon dating to the late Cretaceous period. Sturgeons have bony plates called scutes that extend from the skull to the caudal peduncle and are divided into five rows on the body: one dorsal row, then two lateral and ventral rows respectively. The fins on the shortnose sturgeon are located far back on the body.

The curved section of the lateral line contains 55-70 scales while the straight section contains 0 to 10 scales followed by 27 to 42 strong scutes. The chest is completely covered in scales. The upper jaw contains a series of strong outer canines with an inner band of smaller teeth, while the lower jaw contains a single row of widely spaced conical teeth. The species has 25 to 29 gill rakers in total and there are 24 vertebrae present.

The osteoderms were certainly far more sparse than those of ankylosaurs, and did not completely cover the back in scutes. Because of their sparse arrangement, it was unlikely that they served a significant role in defense. However, they may have played an important role in nutrient storage for titanosaurs living in highly seasonal climates and for female titanosaurs laying eggs. Osteoderms were present on both large and small species, so they were not solely used by smaller species as protection against predators.

Another form of locomotion, rectilinear locomotion, is used at times by some snakes, especially large ones such as pythons and boa. Here large scales on the underside of the body, known as scutes are used to push backwards and downwards. This is effective on a flat surface and is used for slow, silent movement, such as when stalking prey. Snakes use concertina locomotion for moving slowly in tunnels, here the snake alternates in bracing parts of its body on it surrounds.

Thyreophora ("shield bearers", often known simply as "armored dinosaurs") is a group of armored ornithischian dinosaurs that lived from the early Jurassic Period until the end of the Cretaceous. Thyreophorans are characterized by the presence of body armor lined up in longitudinal rows along the body. Primitive forms had simple, low, keeled scutes or osteoderms, whereas more derived forms developed more elaborate structures including spikes and plates. Most thyreophorans were herbivorous and had relatively small brains for their body size.

Diplocynodon is an extinct genus of alligatoroid that lived during the Paleocene to middle Miocene in Europe. It looked very similar to the modern caiman in that it was small and had bony armour scutes covering its neck, back, belly, and tail. The longest Diplocynodon recovered was 4 feet in length and probably fed on small fish, frogs, and took insects when young. In the nineteenth century, D. steineri was named from Styria, Austria and D. styriacus was named from Austria and France.

The forefeet have five distinct toes, each with moderately developed claws, of which the third is the longest. Like the other euphractines and the pink fairy armadillo, the six-banded armadillo has a tympanic bulla; the ears are long. There are 9 pairs of teeth on the upper jaw and 10 pairs on the lower jaw; the teeth are large and strong and are assisted by strong muscles for chewing. A row of scutes, each wide, extends along the back of the neck.

Females sometimes seem to intentionally use low limbs to knock males off. A receptive female extends her hind legs and lifts her plastron as the male plants himself on his own extended hind legs as he works to align their cloacae for insertion. The tail, scutes, and penis of the tortoise are designed to work around the awkwardness of the shell. The male often leans his head over her head and holds his jaws wide open making calls that get louder.

Red-footed tortoises show sex, regional, and individual variations in color, shell shape, and minor anatomical characteristics. Adult carapaces are generally an elongated oval with sides that are nearly parallel, although the sides of males may curve inwards. They are fairly highly domed and smooth with a rather flat back (although the scutes may be raised or 'pyramided' in some individuals, especially captive specimens). Often, a high point over the hips is seen, with a small sloped section over the neck.

Visually, Gulf sturgeon are almost impossible to differentiate from Atlantic sturgeon, as the most significant morphological difference is the spleen length, which is internal. Gulf sturgeon have a spleen length averaging 12.3% of their fork length, while Atlantic sturgeon have a spleen length averaging 5.7% of their fork length. Lesser morphological differences include relative head length, shape of dorsal scutes, and pectoral fin length. Genetic differences between the subspecies have been studied, and tend to indicate reproductive isolation occurred in the Pleistocene period.

The head of the smooth-fronted caiman is similar in appearance to that of the spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), but no bony ridge or "spectacle" occurs between the eyes. The scutes on the back of the neck and the tail are large, triangular, and sharp. It has heavily ossified body armour on both its dorsal and ventral surfaces. The relatively short tail is broad at its base and flattened dorsoventrally in contrast to most species of crocodilians which have laterally flattened tails.

Eastmanalepes primaevus is an extinct species of prehistoric jack fish that lived from the Lutetian epoch, of what is now Monte Bolca, Italy. It was originally described as a species of the jackfish genus Caranx, of which it has a superficially similar outline to. It differs from Caranx, and almost all other jackfish, in that it has very large, very pronounced scutes along its lateral line. According to Bannikov, E. primaevus is probably more related to the extinct jackfish genera, Eothynnus and Teratichthys.

This "star" pattern is more finely detailed and intricate than the normal pattern of other star-patterned tortoise species, such as Geochelone elegans of India. The radiated tortoise is also larger than G. elegans, and the scutes of the carapace are smooth, and not raised up into a bumpy, pyramidal shape as is commonly seen in the latter species. Sexual dimorphism is slight. Compared to females, male radiated tortoises usually have longer tails and the notches beneath their tails are more noticeable.

Some turtles do not have horny scutes; for example, the leatherback sea turtle and the soft-shelled turtles have shells covered with leathery skin instead. The shell's shape gives clues about how a turtle lives. Most tortoises have a large, dome-shaped shell that makes it difficult for predators to crush the shell between their jaws. One of the few exceptions is the African pancake tortoise, which has a flat, flexible shell that allows it to hide in rock crevices.

The debate is on-going over the definitions and validity of some of these genera. Chelonoidis is primarily defined as being from South America, lacking a nuchal scute (the marginal scute located over the neck) and a large, undivided supracaudal (the scute or scutes directly over the tail).Crumly Chelonoidis is made up of two very different-looking groups: the C. carbonaria group with the yellow-footed and red-footed tortoises; and the C. chilensis group with the Galapagos tortoises (C. nigra), Argentine tortoise (C.

Tarjadia has been diagnosed on the basis of its osteoderms, or bony scutes, the most common material that has been found of the genus. The paramedian osteoderms, which overlie the back to either side of the midline, are thick and rectangular. Their medial edges are serrated, allowing the two rows to suture tightly together. Smaller, more rounded osteoderms are thought to have been placed to the sides of the paramedians, although no articulated remains bearing these lateral osteoderms have been found to prove this.

The osteoderms (scutes) covering the back of Deinosuchus were unusually large, heavy, and deeply pitted; some were of a roughly hemispherical shape. Deep pits and grooves on these osteoderms served as attachment points for connective tissue. Together, the osteoderms and connective tissue would have served as load-bearing reinforcement to support the massive body of Deinosuchus out of water. These deeply pitted osteoderms have been used to suggest that, despite its bulk, Deinosuchus could probably have walked on land much like modern-day crocodiles.

Marsh had a long-time rivalry with Cope that was made famous in the Bone Wars of the late 19th century, in which the two tried to out-compete one another in the field and in scientific literature. Unlike Cope's aetosaurs, Stegomus was found from the eastern United States in Connecticut. Marsh also recognized Stegomus as an aetosaur rather than a phytosaur in his initial description of the genus. Like Cope, many paleontologists tended to consider aetosaur scutes to belong to phytosaurs during this time period.

Microthrissa royauxi is a small fish with a rather deep body, the height of the body being roughly a third of the length with a fairly pointed snout, lacking a projecting lower jaw. It has strongly keeled scutes 1 or 2 rows before the base of the first pectoral fin ray. In this and other species of West African freshwater clupeid the jaw anatomy is important in identification and this species has rather narrow jaws compared to its relatives. The maximum length is 9.9 cm,.

Some of this material has been assigned to Hynerpeton, but in many cases, these assignments were reverted. For example, paleontologist Jenny Clack referred several addition fossils to the genus in her 1997 review of Devonian trackways. These fossils, which had not been previously noted in the scientific literature, included a jugal (cheek bone), belly scutes, and a portion of the mandible (lower jaw). In 2000, Daeschler described the mandible (ANSP 20901) in more depth, and compared and contrasted it with the remains of Densignathus.

Females range from , have extremely large heads for crushing snails and mollusks, and lose a majority of their markings and patterns, becoming drabber than juveniles and males. Carapace (upper half of shell) color can be olive to dull green with a slightly visible black stripe in adults. Juveniles exhibit a dark stripe running down a more olive carapace. The outermost edge on the upper half of the shell usually contains light reticulate markings and the scutes (scale-like structure) contain a yellowish bar or semicircle.

These are lost in adults, with the lobes becoming shorter than the head. The pectoral fins are long and falcate, not quite reaching the intersection of the arched and straight sections of the lateral line. The lateral line is moderately curved anteriorly, with this section up to twice as long as the straight section, which has between 20 and 37 weak scutes present. The breast of the longnose trevally is scaleless, extending up to behind the pelvic fin origin and laterally to the pectoral fin base.

Serrasalmids are medium- to large-sized characiform fishes that reach about long, generally characterized by a deep, laterally compressed body with a series of midventral abdominal spines or scutes, and a long dorsal fin (over 16 rays). Most species also possess an anteriorly directed spine just before the dorsal fin extending from a supraneural bone; exceptions include members of the genera Colossoma, Piaractus, and Mylossoma. Most serrasalmids have about 60 chromosomes, ranging from 54 to 62.Metynnis has 62 chromosomes, as does Catoprion, Pristobrycon striolatus, and Pygopristis.

The genus contains two species, S. elusivo (found in Lebanon) and S. africanus (from Morocco). The Lebanese species could reach a length of over 15 cm, while S. africanus was smaller and reaching a length of about 5 cm. Sorbinichthys had a body high and narrow, and was equipped with a tip radius of the second dorsal very long (longer in S. elusivo than in S. africanus). The scales were diamond-shaped, and along the dorsal edge of the back were diamond-shaped scutes.

The blueback herring or blueback shad (Alosa aestivalis) is an anadromous species of herring from the east coast of North America, with a range from Nova Scotia to Florida. Blueback herring form schools and are believed to migrate offshore to overwinter near the bottom. These fish are silvery in color, have a series of scutes (modified, spiny and keeled scales) along their bellies, and are characterized by deep bluish-green backs. They reach a maximum size of approximately and are believed to live up to 8 years.

Restoration of Bradysaurus Pareiasaurs ranged in size from long, and may have weighed up to . They were stocky, with short tails, small heads, robust limbs, and broad feet. The cow-sized species Bunostegos, which lived 260 million years ago, is the earliest known example of a tetrapod with a fully erect posture as its legs were positioned directly under its body.Pre- reptile may be earliest known to walk upright on all fours Pareiasaurs were protected by bony scutes called osteoderms that were set into the skin.

The entrance is usually concealed beneath bushes or rocks, and may be lined with dried plant matter, which is also often found deeper within the burrow, where it forms a nest. Breeding begins in March, with the young being born from October to early December. From six to ten young are born in each litter, and are relatively precocial at birth, with their eyes already open and the bony scutes of their carapace already partially developed. Newborn young weigh about , and are weaned at about two months.

The armour is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. Most species have rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armour covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armoured, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.

As in other ankylosaurs, thick triangular scutes projected from the postorbital bone, above and behind the eyes, as well as the jugal bone, below and behind the eyes. More typically for nodosaurids, leaf-shaped teeth lined both upper and lower jaws, used for cutting plant material. The front end of the skull is unknown, but there would have been a sharp bony ridge (tomium) at the end of both upper and lower jaws, as seen in other ankylosaurs. This ridge probably would have supported a keratinous beak.

Herklotsichthys punctatus is a small silvery fish which shows a moderate degree of compression on the body which is said to resemble juveniles of Sardinella spp. The belly has a sharp keel of scutes. The posterior margin of the gill slit has two distinct fleshy outgrowths; there are few gill raker with 29–39 on the lower part of the first arch. There are 3–6 streaks on the top of the head and prominent rows of teeth on the roof of the mouth.

Scutosaurus was a massively built reptile, with bony armor, and a number of spikes decorating its skull. Despite its relatively small size, Scutosaurus was heavy, and its short legs meant that it could not move at speed for long periods of time, which made it vulnerable to attack by large predators. To defend itself Scutosaurus had a thick skeleton covered with powerful muscles, especially in the neck region. Underneath the skin were rows of hard, bony plates (scutes) that acted like a form of brigandine armor.

Arbour and Mallon, 2017 A prominent feature of Ankylosaurus was its armor, consisting of knobs and plates of bone known as osteoderms, or scutes, embedded in the skin. These have not been found in articulation, so their exact placement on the body is unknown, though inferences can be made based on related animals, and various configurations have been proposed. The osteoderms ranged from in diameter to in length, and varied in shape. The osteoderms of Ankylosaurus were generally thin walled and hollowed on the underside.

Peng, G., Ye, Y., Gao, Y., Shu, C.-K., & Jiang, S., 2005, Jurassic Dinosaur Faunas in Zigong, Zigong, Sichuan Scientific and Technological Publishing House, 236 pp The holotype, ZDM 0019, was found in layers of the Upper Shaximiao Formation of Zigong (Sichuan province), which date to the Oxfordian. It consists of a partial skeleton of a probably subadult individual missing the skull (though the lower jaws are present), hind feet, and the tail end. Apart from skeletal elements also plates, spines and scutes have been found.

Peltephilus, the horned armadillo, is an extinct genus of dog-sized, armadillo xenarthran mammals which first inhabited Argentina during the Oligocene epoch, and became extinct in the Miocene epoch. Notably, the scutes on its head were so developed that they formed horns. Aside from the horned gophers of North America, it is the only known fossorial horned mammal. Although it had traditionally been perceived as a carnivore because of its large, triangular- shaped teeth, Vizcaino and Farina argued in 1997 that Peltephilus was a herbivore.

These fish are aptly named; their rounded, compressed bodies are completely covered (with the exception of the caudal peduncle) with very large, strong, platelike scales called scutes, which are fortified with prominent ridges. The first dorsal fin is composed of four to seven strong, disunited spines which vary in length; the second dorsal fin and anal fin are small, spineless and rounded, situated far back of the convex head. The pectoral fins are somewhat elongate and the caudal fin is truncate. Coloration is typically a yellow to orange, with the scales dramatically outlined in black.

Large American crocodile skull Adult American crocodile American crocodile is a highly fecund species (38 clutch of eggs; fecundity over 20 after 15 years old) with a high adult survival rate and long life span. Like all true crocodilians, the American crocodile is a quadruped, with four short, stocky legs; a long, powerful tail; and a scaly hide with rows of ossified scutes running down its back and tail. Its snout is elongated and includes a strong pair of jaws. Its eyes have nictitating membranes for protection, along with lacrimal glands, which produce tears.

Some eutriconodonts like Spinolestes and Volaticotherium were very well preserved, showing evidence of fur, internal organs and, in the latter, of patagia. Spinolestes shows hair similar to that of modern mammals, with compound hair follicles with primary and secondary hair, even preserving traces of a pore infection. It also possesses a clear thoracic diaphragm like modern mammals, as well as spines, dermal scutes and an ossified Meckel's cartilage. Furthermore, Spinolestes may also display signs of dermatophytosis, suggesting that gobiconodontids, like modern mammals, were vulnerable to this type of fungal infection.

The first remains of Tarjadia from the Chañares Formation were mentioned by Alfred Romer in 1971. He recognized two types of osteoderms from the formation, which he tentatively attributed to the rauisuchian Luperosuchus because of their large size and similar appearance to scutes of other rauisuchians. In 1990, more complete osteoderms were found from the formation, as well as associated vertebrae. Three years later, in Romer's collections at Harvard University, remains of a skull were found in association with an osteoderm that was similar to the ones described in 1971 and 1990.

Pachycheilosuchus (meaning "thick lipped crocodile") is an extinct genus of mesoeucrocodylian from the Early Cretaceous of Texas, United States. Previously known, in part, as the "Glen Rose form", this crocodylomorph is notable for its procoelous vertebrae, otherwise found only in derived eusuchian crocodilians (the vertebrae articulate with a cup on the anterior surface and a rounded posterior surface), a thick margin on the maxillae (the main tooth-bearing bones of the upper jaw; thus "thick lipped crocodile"), and a shield of armor on the neck formed by the fusion of six individual scutes.

In some larger individuals, the last few rays at the posterior of the soft dorsal and anal fins are almost entirely separate from the rest of the fin, forming finlets. The caudal fin is strongly forked, typical amongst the Carangidae, while the ventral fin consists of one spine and five soft rays. The pectoral fin terminates before the front of the anal fin, having 22 to 24 rays in total. The lateral line dips strongly after the pectoral fin, having 50 to 53 scales on the upper section and 43 to 52 keeled scutes posteriorly.

The genus is characterized by a short, high body, a fenestra-less premaxilla, and by the long and narrow postcleithrum reaching the ventral margin of the belly. Other characteristics are the axial skeleton with thirty vertebrae, of which only seven are abdominal; dorsal and anal fins with long bases; a ventral, well- developed pectoral fin; a naked body, devoid of scales except for two dorsal postoccipital and three lateral scutes at the base of the tail; and with a reduction and fusion of the endoskeletal elements of the caudal fin.

The shells of cyamodontoids differ from those of turtles in several ways. Turtle shells are fused to their skeletons in several regions, including the vertebrae, ribs, gastralia (belly ribs), and pectoral girdles, but cyamodontoid shells overly skeletal bones without any fusion. Turtle shells are also composed of two layers of osteoderms, while cyamodontoid shells only have one layer. Cyamodontoids typically have more osteoderms forming their carapaces and plastrons (upper and lower shells) than do turtles, and the osteoderms have less well-defined shapes than the geometric scutes of turtles.

The pectoral fin is strongly falcate (scythe shaped), and extends beyond the origin of the second dorsal fin. The lateral line is strongly arched over a short length anteriorly, with the intersection of the curved and straight sections vertically below the fourth or fifth spine of the first dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line has 21 to 29 scales, while the straight section has 51 to 59 very large scutes. The breast is devoid of scales in a triangular patch to about one-third the distance to the pectoral fin base.

It is believed to have been deposited during the Middle to Upper Famennian stage, about 365 to 363 million years ago. Since 1993, more stegocephalian remains have been found in the Hynerpeton lens (also known as the Farwell paleosols). These include shoulder bones, jaw bones, skull fragments, gastralia (belly scutes), a femur, and a large and unusually-shaped humerus. In 2000, a pair of jaw bones were assigned to a second genus, Densignathus, and other studies have argued that several additional unnamed taxa were present at the site, including possibly the oldest known whatcheeriid.

The lateral line has a pronounced and moderately long anterior arch, with the curved section intersecting the straight section midway below the second dorsal fin. The straight section contains 23 to 35 very strong scutes, with bilateral keels present on the caudal peduncle. The chest is devoid of scales with the exception of a small patch of scales in front of the pelvic fins. The upper jaw contains a series of strong outer canines with an inner band of smaller teeth, while the lower jaw contains a single row of teeth.

Nouveau Dictionnaire à Histoire Naturelle, xxiv; cited in Latreille, P.A. (1825).Familles naturelles du règne animal, exposés succinctement et dans un ordre analytique. In this system, reptiles are characterized by traits such as laying membranous or shelled eggs, having skin covered in scales or scutes, and having a 'cold- blooded' metabolism. However, the ancestors of mammals and birds also had these traits and so birds and mammals can be said to "have evolved from reptiles", making the reptiles, when defined by these traits, a grade rather than a clade.

The three Aldabra- Seychelles giant tortoise subspecies can be distinguished based on carapace shape, but many captive animals may have distorted carapaces, so they may be difficult to identify. Arnold's giant tortoise is flattened, smooth, and with a relatively high opening to the shell; it is usually black. This subspecies usually has a depression on the suture between the first and second costal scutes, this may be a shallow depression or a distinctive pit. The plastron is less variable than the carapace and usually provides a good indication of the subspecies.

M. planirostris scutes Mystriosuchus possesses many vertebrae, with 25 in the neck and torso, two in the pelvis, and 74 in the tail. The vertebral column is complete and nearly all articulated, although a portion of the tail can only be seen from top view. The vertebrae behind the axis vertebra are platycoelous (one surface flat and one concave), and are approximately rectangular in shape. Because of incomplete preservation, it can't be distinguished where the neck meets the torso, although at least 17 of the 25 vertebrae come from the latter.

The yellowtail horse mackerel (Trachurus novaezelandiae), also known as the yellowtail scad, is a jack in the family Carangidae found around Australia and New Zealand at depths to 500 m. Its length is up to . The yellowtail horse mackerel is very similar to the greenback horse mackerel, but has 68 to 73 lateral line scutes, compared with 76 to 82 for the greenback horse mackerel. Adult yellowtail horse mackerels are found in coastal waters and estuaries, showing a preference for waters less than deep and no cooler than .

Terminology of shields on the head of a snake. Snakes are entirely covered with scales or scutes of various shapes and sizes. Scales protect the body of the snake, aid it in locomotion, allow moisture to be retained within and give simple or complex colouration patterns which help in camouflage and anti- predator display. In some snakes, scales have been modified over time to serve other functions such as 'eyelash' fringes, and protective covers for the eyes with the most distinctive modification being the rattle of the North American rattlesnakes.

The spiny softshell turtle (Apalone spinifera, formerly Trionyx spiniferus) is a species of softshelled turtle, one of the largest freshwater turtle species in North America. They get their name from the spiny, cone-like projections on the leading edge of their carapace, which are not scutes (scales). The spiny softshell has a wide range, extending throughout much of the United States, as well as north into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and south into the Mexican states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Baja California, Morelos, and Honduras.

The rest of the general body plan of the genus is similar to other carangids, with two separate, rather low dorsal fins; the first consisting of 8 spines and the second of 1 spine and 25 to 29 soft rays. The anal fin is also low, consisting of 2 detached spines anteriorly, followed by 1 spine and 25 to 29 soft rays. The lateral line is moderately curved anteriorly, with six to 14 weak scutes on the straight section. The chests are completely scaled, and the jaws contain bands of fine villiform teeth.

Parasuchus was first described on the basis of a chimeric material - a rhynchosaurian basicranium mixed with phytosaurian partial snout, scutes and some teeth. The partial premaxillary rostrum (snout), GSI H 20/11, was chosen as the lectotype of Parasuchus hislopi. GSI H 20/11 was collected from the Lower Maleri Formation (Pranhita–Godavari Basin), near the Maleri village of Adilabad district, Andhra Pradesh. Later, Sankar Chatterjee (1978) described many complete remains from the Lower Maleri Formation, as well as one nearly complete skull form the Tiki Formation, that he assignated to Parasuchus hislopi.

The anal fin consists of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 19 to 21 soft rays. The pectoral fins become more falcate with age, having 21 to 23 rays, and are slightly longer than the head. The lateral line has a pronounced but short anterior arch, with the curved section intersecting the straight section below the spine of the second dorsal fin. The straight section contains 0 to 7 scales followed by 46 to 56 very strong scutes, with bilateral keels present on the caudal peduncle.

There are a total of 86 to 98 scales and scutes over the entire lateral line. The chest is completely scaled. The upper jaw contains an irregular series of outer canines with an inner band of small, regularly spaced teeth, while the lower jaw contains a single band of small teeth. The species has 35 to 42 gill rakers in total; 10 to 14 on the upper limb and 25 to 28 on the lower limb, with this the only feature that differs between C. crysos and C. caballus.

The smallest species is the Cuvier's dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus), which grows to long. There are six different species of caiman found throughout the watery, jungle habitats of Central and Southern America. The average length for most of the other caiman species is about long. Caimans are distinguished from alligators, their closest relatives, by a few defining features: a lack of a bony septum between the nostrils, ventral armour composed of overlapping bony scutes formed from two parts united by a suture, and relatively longer, slenderer teeth than those possessed by alligators.

They are most numerous on the back and neck of the animal and may form a protective armour. They often have prominent, lumpy ridges and are covered in hard-wearing beta-keratin. The head lacks actual scales and is instead covered in a tight sheet of highly keratinised skin that cracks due to the mechanical stress of the jaws. The skin on the neck and flanks is loose, while that on the abdomen and underside of the tail is sheathed in large, flat square scutes arranged in neat rows.

The caudal fin is strongly forked, and the pectoral fins are falcate, being longer than the length of the head. The lateral line has a pronounced and moderately long anterior arch, with the curved section intersecting the straight section below the lobe of the second dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line contains 58-64 scales, while the straight section contains none to four scales and 26 to 38 very strong scutes. The chest is devoid of scales with the exception of a small patch of scales in front of the pelvic fins.

The pelycosaur scutes probably were nonoverlapping dermal structures with a horny overlay, like those found in modern crocodiles and turtles. These differed in structure from the scales of lizards and snakes, which are an epidermal feature (like mammalian hair or avian feathers). Recently, skin impressions from the genus Ascendonanus suggest that at least varanopsids developed scales similar to those of squamates. It is currently unknown exactly when mammalian characteristics such as body hair and mammary glands first appeared, as the fossils only rarely provide direct evidence for soft tissues.

The herring scad (Alepes vari) (also known as the duskyfin crevalle and trevally scad), is a common species of tropical marine fish in the jack family Carangidae. The species inhabits the surface waters of coastal regions throughout the Indo-West Pacific region, feeding on a variety of crustaceans and small fishes. It is the largest fish of the scad genus Alepes, growing to a recorded length of 56 cm. The herring scad is identified among the genus Alepes by its more numerous and smaller scutes and the number of gill rakers on the first arch.

Three-dimensional digital reconstruction Animals of this species would have grown to at least (snout-vent length), which is around the size a modern African Bullfrog can reach. The head of Beelzebufo was very big, and bones of the skull roof show a rugous external surface, indicating at least parts of the head may have borne bony scales, called scutes. The skull sutures are open in even the largest specimens of Beelzebufo, showing that it might have grown even bigger. Some estimates suggest snout-vent lengths of up to .

Fish in the Faroe Islands: Orange roughy, Hoplostethus atlanticus Faroese stamp issued: 7 Feb 1994 Artist: Astrid Andreasen The orange roughy is not a vertically slender fish. Its rounded head is riddled with muciferous canals (part of the lateral line system), as is typical of slimeheads. The single dorsal fin contains four to six spines and 15 to 19 soft rays; the anal fin contains three spines and 10 to 12 soft rays. The 19 to 25 ventral scutes (modified scales) form a hard, bony median ridge between the pelvic fins and anus.

The lateral line has a gentle anterior arch, which is slightly longer than the straight section of the lateral line, with the intersection below the 13th to 16th soft ray of the dorsal fin. The curved section contains 80 to 88 scales, while the straight section consists of 12 to 17 scales and 26 to 31 scutes. The breast is scaleless until the origin of the pelvic fins and up to the origin of the pectoral fins, although some individuals have a narrow band of scales separating the pectoral fins.

The anal fin has two detached spines followed by one spine connected to 18 to 20 soft rays. The anterior section of the lateral line is strongly curved, containing thirty one to thirty six scales, while the straight section consists of seventy seven to eighty five scutes. The colour of the body is an overall silver colour, with a green-blue tone on the upper body, while the underside fades to a more white colour. There is a diffuse dusky blotch on margin of operculum which is bordered by a smaller white spot.

The spinous dorsal fin, including the last dorsal fin spine is blackish or dusky, the soft dorsal fin is blackish or dusky above the scaly sheath and the margin of first to fourth upper soft rays is whitish. The middle portion of the anal fin below the scaly sheath is slightly blackish or dusk. The caudal fin is often a striking yellow, especially when fresh, with the upper caudal lobe often fading to a darker shade. The posterior scutes may also be a yellow to rusty colour, especially after removal from the water.

In phylogenetic terms, Limnarchia is a stem-based taxon including all temnospondyls more closely related to Parotosuchus than to Eryops. It is the sister group of the clade Euskelia, which is all temnospondyls more closely related to Eryops than to Parotosuchus. Limnarchians represent an evolutionary radiation of temnospondyls into aquatic environments, while euskelians represent a radiation into terrestrial environments. While many euskelians were adapted to life on land with strong limbs and bony scutes, most limnarchians were better adapted for the water with poorly developed limbs and lateral line sensory systems in their skulls.

The first trigger is head and limb color; the bright red, orange, yellow, or white colors on the dark skin identify the other animal as the proper species. Next, the larger tortoise makes jerky side-to-side head movements for two to four seconds. If both tortoises are males, one will either withdraw and retreat, or they may try to ram each other, trying to get their gular scutes under the other one, then pushing them several meters away as quickly as possible. The defeated tortoise is sometimes flipped onto his back in the process.

The width of the plastron bridge is less than the length of the hind lobe; the longest median suture is between the abdominal scute, the shortest between the gular scute. The axillary and inguinal scutes are very small; one of the latter is even absent. Cane turtle in the Anaimalai Hills Its head is rather large, with a truncated snout as long as the sizeable orbit; the upper jaw is hooked, with small premaxillae. The mandibular symphysis is very long, exceeding the maximum diameter of the orbit in width.

Originally, they did not differ much from more primitive members of that group, being small, low-slung, running animals protected by armored scutes. An early evolutionary innovation was the development of tail spikes, or "thagomizers", as defensive weapons. Later species, belonging to a subgroup called the Stegosauridae, became larger, and developed long hindlimbs that no longer allowed them to run. This increased the importance of active defence by the thagomizer, which could ward off even large predators because the tail was in a higher position, pointing horizontally to the rear from the broad pelvis.

It indicated that the fossil also included a partial forelimb and osteoderms (bony scutes),Bonaparte, JF (1971), Annotated list of the South American Triassic tetrapods, in SH Haughton (ed.), Second Gondwana Symposium, Proceedings and Papers [1970]. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research [Praetoria] 2: 665-682. but these remains have not been located by modern paleontologists and are thus considered missing. Bones from the right side of the skull were also considered missing until 2015, when quadratojugal, quadrate, surangular, articular, and angular bones from the right side of the skull were rediscovered.

The long section of the anal fin is preceded by two detached spines, while the main fin has 1 spine and 17 to 19 soft rays. The lobes of both the soft dorsal and anal fins are low, being shorter than the head length. The lateral line has a moderate anterior arch, with the curved section of the line much longer than the straight section. There are 32 to 52 scales on the lateral line, with 20 to 32 of these being weak scutes at the base of the caudal fin.

Once maturity is reached, the chance of death seems not to increase with age. The survivorship curve of box turtles is therefore probably similar to that of other long-living turtles. The average life span of adult box turtles is 50 years, while a significant portion lives over 100 years. The age of a growing box turtle in the wild cannot be accurately estimated by counting the growth rings on the scutes; Their growth is directly affected by the amount of food, types of food, water, illness, and more.

Tridacna squamosa, known commonly as the fluted giant clam and scaly clam, is one of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is distinguished by the large, leaf-like fluted edges on its shell called 'scutes' and a byssal opening that is small compared to those of other members of the subfamily Tridacnindae. Normal coloration of the mantle ranges from browns and purples to greens and yellows arranged in elongated linear or spot-like patterns. Tridacna squamosa grows to across.

Ascendonanus (meaning "climbing dwarf") is an extinct genus of varanopid "pelycosaurian" synapsid from the Early Permian of Germany. It is the earliest specialized arboreal (tree-living) vertebrate currently known and resembled a small lizard, although it was related to mammals. The fossils of Ascendonanus are of special scientific importance because they include remains of skin, scales, scutes, bony ossicles, and body outlines, indicating that some of the oldest relatives of mammals had a scaly "reptilian-type" appearance. The animal was about 40 cm long, with strongly curved claws, short limbs, a slender, elongated trunk, and a long tail.

The spine and expanded ribs are fused through ossification to dermal plates beneath the skin to form a hard shell. Exterior to the skin the shell is covered by scutes, which are horny plates made of keratin that protect the shell from scrapes and bruises. A keel, a ridge that runs from front to the back of the animal is present in some species, these may be single, paired or even three rows of them. In most turtles the shell is relatively uniform in structure, species variation in general shape and color being the main differences.

If a tortoise is dehydrated or unable to access conditions which are sufficiently moist, the keratinous layers which would otherwise form at the edges of scutes grow beneath the existing hardened shell causing a stacking effect which pushes shell growth upwards rather than outwards and exerts pressure on the skeleton beneath the shell. If severe, this leads to spinal and physical malformation. Other factors which may also contribute to pyramiding include the consumption of excessive animal or vegetable protein; inadequate calcium, UVB and/or vitamin D3; poor nutrition. Pyramiding may also be a visible sign of metabolic bone disease (MBD) in tortoises.

Dorsally the shell is dark in color with the vertebral, costal and marginal scutes having dark black spots surrounded by lighter margins. The Baja California slider has a large, triangular shaped head which is covered by smooth skin. They have protruding non-hooked snouts where the nostrils are located decently high and large eyes. The top of the head is olive colored with indistinct pale lines while the chin and throat are lighter with central yellow markings; there is a pair of yellow stripes that extend anteriorly across the local jaw and onto the upper jaw.

Nodosaurid scutes have been commonly found in eastern North America, while fossil specimens are very rare. Often the findings are not diagnostic enough to identify the species, but the remains attest to a greater number of these armored dinosaurs in Appalachia. Multiple specimens have been unearthed in Kansas in the Niobrara Formation, Alabama in Ripley Formation, Mississippi, Delaware, Maryland and New Jersey, possibly belonging to a multitude of different species. Five possible and best-known examples of Appalachian nodosaurids, from both the early and late Cretaceous period, include Priconodon, Propanoplosaurus, Niobrarasaurus, Silvisaurus and possibly Hierosaurus, though its validity is disputed.

Doublespotted queenfish are known to reach up to 110 cm total length and mass up to 11.0 kg (24 lb.). They are primarily silver in color, with dark coloration on the dorsal and caudal fins and a row of dark spots on either side of the lateral line. Scales needle-like and embedded in tough skin; breast scales sharply lanceolate and embedded on middle of body below lateral line but lack the scutes of some other jacks. This species ranges eastward from the Red Sea and eastern Africa to Hawaii, the Marquesas, and the Tuamotu Islands.

Therefore, it is unlikely that they would have been visible from the outside of the body. It cannot be determined whether the scales or scutes of rhinesuchids would have enabled or restricted cutaneous respiration (breathing through the skin as in modern amphibians). Other potential applications of the scales included protection against predators, retaining water during droughts, and possibly even for storing calcium when conditions are harsh (a technique used by female African crocodiles).This last hypothesis is the least likely, as rhinesuchids did not lay hard-shelled eggs, which is the reason female crocodiles need to store calcium.

The relative lack of scutes is considered an asset useful to distinguish saltwater crocodiles in captivity or in illicit leather trading, as well as in the few areas in the field where sub-adult or younger saltwater crocodiles may need to be distinguished from other crocodiles. It has fewer armour plates on its neck than other crocodilians. The adult saltwater crocodile's broad body contrasts with that of most other lean crocodiles, leading to early unverified assumptions the reptile was an alligator. Young saltwater crocodiles are pale yellow in colour with black stripes and spots on their bodies and tails.

Pampatheres are believed to have attained a weight of up to . Like three-banded armadillos, and unlike glyptodonts, their armored shell was given some flexibility by three movable lateral bands of scutes. The osteoderms (bony plates in the skin comprising the armor) of pampatheres were each covered by a single keratinized scute, unlike osteoderms of armadillos, which have more than one scute. Holmesina floridanus cast skeleton A study of pampathere jaw biomechanics showed that their masticatory musculature was more powerful and more adapted for transverse movements than that of armadillos, leading to the conclusion that much of their diet was coarse vegetation.

Small overlapping osteoderms (bony scutes) overlay many of the vertebrae. Two rows run along the neck, back, and tail with about two osteoderms overlaying each vertebra. Small osteoderms also cover the limb bones. Some features of the limbs, pelvic and pectoral girdles are also diagnostic in Diandongosuchus, including a thick ischium bone in the hip, an opening of the coracoid bone in the pectoral girdle that is much larger than those of other archosaurs and is closed by the end of the scapula, and a fourth metatarsal bone in the foot that is longer than the other metatarsals.

The anal fin consists of two detached spines anteriorly followed by one spine and 18 to 21 soft rays, with the lobes of both fins only slightly extended. The lateral line has a strong anterior curve, with the straight section containing none to four scales and 46 to 53 strong scutes. The breast area is fully scaled. The eyes have a slightly developed posterior adipose eyelid, while the upper jaw contains an outer row of strong canines and an inner band of villiform teeth, while the lower jaw has only a single row of canine teeth.

Larger than the closely related southern naked-tailed armadillos, adults of the greater species measure in head-body length, with a tail in length. There are eight or nine uniformly shaped teeth on each side of each jaw, with no identifiable incisors or canines. The carapace includes an average of 13 movable bands between the solid shields over the shoulders and hips, with each band having about 30 individual scutes. There is also a scaled shield over the upper surface of the head, with much smaller scales on the ears and on the cheeks below the eyes.

The Florida softshell turtle is a large turtle with a flattened, pancake-like body, a long neck, an elongated head with a long snorkel-like nose, and large webbed feet, each with three claws. While most turtles have hard shells composed of scutes, the Florida softshell has a cartilaginous carapace covered in leathery skin. Ranging from olive green to dark brown, it has the darkest coloration of all the softshell species that inhabit Florida (other species include Apalone mutica calvata and Apalone spinifera aspera). It is also characterized by a white or cream-colored underside.Apalone. www.tortoise.

The lobe of the second dorsal fin is elongated, being greater than the head length. The anal fin is composed of two anteriorly detached spines followed by a single spine and 15 to 17 soft rays. The lateral line has a moderate arch anteriorly, with the junction of the curved and straight sections below the tenth or twelfth soft rays of the second dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line is slightly longer than the straight section, and contains 60 to 63 scales, while the straight part contains no to six scales followed by 23 to 30 scutes.

The lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with 53 to 61 scales in this section, while the straight section contains none to three scales and 31 to 39 strong scutes. The breast is naked ventrally with the exception of a small patch of scales before the pelvic fin. The species has weakly developed adipose eyelids, while its dentition consists of an outer row of widely spaced canines and an inner band of villiform teeth in the upper jaw with a row of widely spaced conical teeth on the lower jaw. The brassy trevally has 26 to 30 gill rakers and 24 vertebrae.

The underside, also called the plastron, has a much lighter coloration of a pale yellow. The flatback sea turtle has an average carapace length ranging from 76 to 96 cm (30 to 38 in), and weighs from 70 to 90 kg (about 155 to 200 lb). The females of this species are larger than the males in adulthood and also have been found to have longer tails than their male counterparts. Features of this sea turtle which help contribute to its recognition are the single pair of prefrontal scales on the head, and the four pairs of coastal scutes on the carapace.

Axestemys is an extinct genus of softshell turtle that lived from the Late Cretaceous to the Eocene in western North America and Europe. Axestemys, like its modern relatives, had no scutes on its carapace, which probably had leathery, pliable skin at the sides. Despite living several million years ago, Axestemys would have looked very similar to its modern relatives, with a long neck, a sharp beak, and three toes on each foot. All species of Axestemys grew to a large size, especially A. byssina, that could reach a total length of or more, being larger than any modern day species of softshell turtle.

Cuyosuchus is an extinct genus of archosauriform reptile. Its fossils have been found in Late Triassic-aged rocks of the Cacheuta Formation, Cuyo Basin, Mendoza, Argentina. Cuyosuchus is based on MCNAM 2669, a partial postcranial skeleton including 26 vertebrae from all parts of the spinal column, ribs, partial pectoral girdles, part of the pelvis, upper arms and part of the lower arms, the left thigh bone and shin, pitted armor scutes, and fragments. It was described in 1961 by Osvaldo Reig and named after the Cuyo Basin; the type species is C. huenei, referring to German paleontologist Friedrich von Huene.

Doradids are easily recognized by a well-developed nuchal shield in front of the dorsal fin, as well as well-developed bony lumps along the lateral line that form thorny scutes. Also, doradids typically have three pairs of barbels (no nasal barbels), an adipose fin, and four to six rays on the dorsal fin with a spine on the anterior (first) ray. These fish are sometimes called "talking catfish" because of their ability to produce sound by moving their pectoral spine or vibrating their swim bladder. Sizes range from SL in Physopyxis lyra to FL and in Oxydoras niger.

Long-nosed armadillos have a broad, depressed body, an obtusely pointed rostrum, long, pointed ears and short legs. The carapace consists of two immobile plates, separated by six or seven movable bands, which are connected to each other by a fold of hairless skin. The carapace is mostly blackish, hairless and with the scales of the anterior edge of the movable bands not notably different in colour from the rest of the dorsum. Lateral scutes have dark blackish-pink centres only slightly discernible from the rest of the carapace, but never as obviously pale as in the nine-banded armadillo.

Aphyocypris lini is a small fish which has a yellowish-brown body with a bluish back and a white underside which are separated by a series of parallel stripes with the middle stripe being reddish-yellow, a bluish black stripe above and an iridescent green line below it. There is a large blue spot, edged with gold at the base of the caudal fin while the fins are white. It has pelvic scutes which run from the base of the pelvic fin to the anus. There is no lateral line but there are 30–32 scales along lateral axis.

It was a largely quadrupedal animal, feeding on low scrubby plants, the parts of which were bitten off by the small, elongated head to be processed in the large gut. Scelidosaurus was lightly armoured, protected by long horizontal rows of keeled oval scutes that stretched along the neck, back and tail. One of the oldest known and most "primitive" of the thyreophorans, the exact placement of Scelidosaurus within this group has been the subject of debate for nearly 150 years. This was not helped by the limited additional knowledge about the early evolution of armoured dinosaurs.

The anal fin consists of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine and 16 to 21 soft rays. The lobes of both the second dorsal and anal fin are slightly elongated and almost entirely covered in small scales, but are still much shorter than the head length. The lateral line has a pronounced but short anterior arch, with the curved section intersecting the straight section below the spine of the second dorsal fin. The straight section contains 0 to 7 scales followed by 42 to 56 very strong scutes, and 43 to 47 scales overall.

The species lateral line is very strongly curved over a short length, becoming straight before the origin of the second dorsal fin, with this straight section over 2.5 times the length of the curved section. The curved section contain 40 to 50 scales while the straight section contains no scales, but 33 to 39 strong scutes. The breast is naked ventrally, with this area extending to behind the origin of the pelvic fins and diagonally to the base of pectoral fins. The eyes have a moderately well-developed posterior adipose eyelid which usually extends to the posterior edge of the pupil.

They suggest it may be a fragmentary tail spine instead. The genuine absence of parascapular spines in other stegosaurids is considered a secondary loss since many basal stegosaurs like Gigantspinosaurus and Huayangosaurus have been discovered with them. Stegosaurids also lack lateral scute rows that run longitudinally on either side of the trunk in huayangosaurids and ankylosaurs, indicating yet another secondary loss of a plesiomorphic characters. However, the absence of lateral scutes as well as pre-maxillary teeth mentioned above are not specifically diagnostic of stegosaurids, since these features are also present in other non- huayangosaurid stegosaurs, whose phylogenetic relations within Stegosauria are unclear.

The tortoise is one of the rarest species of tortoise of earth, only about 2,000 to 3,000 are alive today. However, because of its cryptic coloration and lack of activity, it makes it hard to create an accurate estimate of the population size. Illustration While it shares much of its superficial outer appearance with its relatives in the genus Psammobates, it can be distinguished by the distinctively brightly coloured yellow stars of its shell scutes, the small nuchal and single axillary, the lack of buttock tubercles, and the only slightly upturned rear margins of the shell.

The specimens show a regular scale pattern over their bodies, similar to living squamates and archosaurs, suggesting dry, scaly skin was present in the earliest amniotes before the split into synapsids and sauropsids (reptiles) during the Carboniferous Period. Some synapsid groups later developed bare, glandular skin, eventually with hair and whiskers that became characteristics of mammals. Unlike some varanopids (such as Archaeovenator and Microvaranops), Ascendonanus does not have dorsal osteoderms on its upper trunk section along the back. However, the middle part of the tail has a covering of small scutes that continues to where the end of the tail is missing in all current specimens.

The specimens consist of three teeth, a basicranium, a dorsal vertebra, spikes and scutes. Vertebra of Syngonosaurus, which is now seen to be an iguanodontian unrelated to Acanthopholis In 1869 Harry Govier Seeley named several new species of the genus based on remains from the Cambridge Greensand: Acanthopholis macrocercus, based on specimens CAMSM B55570-55609; Acanthopholis platypus (CAMSM B55454-55461); and Acanthopholis stereocercus (CAMSM B55558 55569). Later, Seeley split the material of Acanthopholis stereocercus and based a new species of Anoplosaurus on part of it: Anoplosaurus major. He also described a new species, Acanthopholis eucercus, on the basis of six caudal vertebrae (CAMSM 55552-55557).

The anal fin consists of two anteriorly detached spines followed by one spine and 16 to 18 soft rays, while the pelvic fins have one spine followed by 18 soft rays. The lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with 53 to 54 scales in this section, while the straight section contains none to two scales and 33 to 42 strong scutes. The breast is completely scaled. The species has well-developed adipose eyelids, while its dentition consists of an outer row of widely spaced canines and an inner band of villiform teeth in the upper jaw, with a row of widely spaced conical teeth on the lower jaw.

Analysis of the composition of Canadian amber indicates it originated as cupressaceous resins which were deposited in lagoons and salt water marshes along the Western Interior Seaway. Based on the diversity of included Ceratopogonidae flies, Borkent in 1995 suggested the paleohabitat was a mix of salt marshes, wetland pools and moist sands. This mixture is supported by the presence of Haplophragmoides species foraminiferan tests, which are indicators of brackish waters, and crocodylian scutes found associated with the amber. While few vegetative remains are found associated with Canadian amber, spectroscopic analysis and rare entombed foliage indicated the cupressaceous tree which produced the amber is likely a species of Parataxodium.

Upon preparation, however, it was discovered that there was the skeleton of a smaller archosaur under its pelvis, and the bones of several different animals as gut contents that remained in place in the rauisuchian fossil: these included bones and scutes of the aetosaur Stegomus, some with tooth marks; bones from the snout, arm, and shoulder of the traversodont cynodont Plinthogomphodon; phalanx bones of a dicynodont; and a bone fragment from a possible temnospondyl. Additionally, the small archosaur, later named Dromicosuchus, had damage to its neck armor and lower jaw that appears to have been caused by rauisuchian teeth, perhaps those of the animal that was found above it.

The ventral fin consists of 1 spine and 5 soft rays, while the caudal fin is strongly forked. The species lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with 50 to 60 scales in this section, while the straight section contains 0 to 4 scales and 30 to 40 strong scutes. The pattern of breast scales is variable, ranging from fully scaled to naked ventrally. The species has moderately well developed adipose eyelids, while its dentition consists of an outer row of widely spaced canines and an inner band of villiform teeth in the upper jaw and a row of widely spaced conical teeth on the lower jaw.

The lateral line is moderately curved anteriorly, with the curve having 62 to 72 scales present on it, while the straight section contains three to eight scales and 24 to 32 scutes. The breast of the duskyshoulder trevally is scaleless, extending up to behind the pelvic fin origin and laterally to the pectoral fin base. It has six to 10 gill rakers on the first arch and 16 to 20 on the second arch, and the species has 24 vertebrae. The duskyshoulder trevally is a dusky green colour above, fading to silver below, with adults and juveniles often having five or six dark broad crossbars running vertically down their bodies.

Three cervical half-rings The body of Ziapelta was protected by osteoderms, skin ossifications. Apart from the osteoderms that are part of the skull, two cervical halfrings were present to protect the upper side of the neck and rows of oval scutes probably ran along the back and sides of the torso; the latter are only known as detached specimens. All osteoderms found have a surface that is densely pitted but lacks veins. The cervical halfrings with ankylosaurids typically each consisted of six fused segments that were paired: per side one at the top, a second segment at the upper side and a third one at the lower side.

Hypostomus plecostomus, also known as the suckermouth catfish or the common pleco, is a tropical fish belonging to the armored catfish family (Loricariidae), named for the armor-like longitudinal rows of scutes that cover the upper parts of the head and body (the lower surface of head and abdomen is naked). Although the name Hypostomus plecostomus is often used to refer to common plecostomus sold in aquarium shops, most are actually members of other genera. Suckermouth catfish are of little or no value as a food fish, although they are at least occasionally consumed over their native range. A demand exists for them, however, in the aquarium trade.

A spinal table formed by broadened neural arches help support these osteoderms on the back. The scutes interlock with one another through a series of grooves and projections, with each plate overlapping the one posterior to it and having an anterolateral articulatory process project anteriorly from it and lie over the plate in front of it. These osteoderms, as well as the fragmentary vertebrae, are all that are known from the genus and thus the only material from which the genus can be classified. Euscolosuchus appears to be a very close relative of the crocodylomorphs, a clade of pseudosuchians that includes all living crocodilians.

In young adults, the lobe of the second dorsal fin is often falcate, but usually shorter than the head length. The anal fin has two anteriorly detached spines followed by a single spine attached to 21 to 26 soft rays, while the pelvic fin has one spine attached to 20 or 21 soft rays. The lateral line has a gentle anterior arch, with the junction of the curved and straight sections vertically below the 15th to 20th soft rays of the second dorsal fin. The curved section of the lateral line contains 82 to 90 scales, while the straight section has 12 to 17 scales and 26 to 31 scutes.

In 1896, paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh named Stegomus arcuatus from a cast of an aetosaur known as YPM 1647 from the New Haven Formation in Fairfield, Connecticut. This cast consisted of the dorsal carapace. Several other casts preserving the surface of the skull and tail have been found in the Passaic Formation of Hunterdon and Somerset counties, New Jersey and an outcrop of the Lower Sanford Formation at the Triangle Brick Co. Quarry in Durham County, North Carolina. Stegomus arcuatus was found to be synonymous with Aetosaurus on the basis of several similarities, including a lack of spikes and a distinctive radial pattern of grooves on some of the caudal scutes.

Hair has its origins in the common ancestor of mammals, the synapsids, about 300 million years ago. It is currently unknown at what stage the synapsids acquired mammalian characteristics such as body hair and mammary glands, as the fossils only rarely provide direct evidence for soft tissues. Skin impression of the belly and lower tail of a pelycosaur, possibly Haptodus shows the basal synapsid stock bore transverse rows of rectangular scutes, similar to those of a modern crocodile. An exceptionally well-preserved skull of Estemmenosuchus, a therapsid from the Upper Permian, shows smooth, hairless skin with what appears to be glandular depressions,Kardong, K.V. (2002): Vertebrates: Comparative anatomy, function, evolution.

The pectoral fins are falcate, and consist of 19 to 21 soft rays, while the caudal fin is strongly forked. The species lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with 58 to 79 scales in this section, while the straight section contains none to seven scales and 34 to 43 strong scutes. The breast is devoid of scales with the exception of a small patch of scales in front of the pelvic fins. The species has well-developed adipose eyelids, while its dentition consists of an outer row of widely spaced canine teeth and an inner band of villiform teeth in the upper jaw, with a row of widely spaced conical teeth on the lower jaw.

The apparently strong tongue may have partially reworked and pushed incompletely chewed food into the stomach or possibly a cecum. 1913 reconstruction of Doedicurus and Glyptodon by Robert Bruce Horsfall Doedicurus, on average, had a height of , an overall length of around , and a weight of about , but an 8,000 year old specimen was calculated to have been , which could indicate Doedicurus grew much larger in the Holocene just before going extinct. This makes it one of the heaviest glyptodont species known, alongside Pa. intermedius, Pa. subintermedius, G. munizi, G. elongatus, and Plaxhaplous. Doedicurus had a huge domed carapace that was made of many tightly fitted scutes, somewhat similar to that of its modern-day relative, the armadillos.

A tortoiseshell ornament from Micronesia veneers French singing bird box with a case made out of tortoiseshell.Tortoiseshell or tortoise shell is a material produced from the shells of the larger species of tortoise and turtle, mainly the hawksbill sea turtle, which is a Critically Endangered species according to the IUCN Red List largely because of its exploitation for this trade. The large size, fine colour and unusual form of the hawksbill's scutes make it especially suitable. The distinctive patterning is referred to in names such as the tortoiseshell cat, several breeds of guinea pig, and the common names of several species of the butterfly genera Nymphalis and Aglais, and some other uses.

It is believed that Desmatosuchus dug for food in the soft mud near bodies of water due to the abundance of lakes and rivers in the Dockum area and the fact that Desmatosuchus scutes are often found among parts of other reptiles that are known to have fed along waterways. It is unknown whether or not Desmatosuchus replaced their teeth and, if so, how. The low number of Desmatosuchus teeth that have been discovered indicates that they were only held in place by soft tissue connections. The jaw articulation point is below the tooth line, holding its upper and lower tooth rows parallel while biting in a way that is reminiscent of ornithischian dinosaurs.

On May 27, 1692 Cardinal Carlo Bichi (May 6, 1638 – November 7, 1718; nominated cardinal by Alexander VIII in 1690), offered to purchase the County of Reschio for the sum of 23000 scutes on behalf of his nephew Marquis Galgano Bichi, of the noble family Bichi of Siena. The notary Francesco Antamoro drew up the sales deed, confirmed by Pope Innocenzo XII on October 11, on October 20, 1692. This important family from Siena contributed decisively to the development of the community of Reschio, right up to the 1920s, when the inauguration of the first (and only) elementary school of Reschio took place, thanks to the determination of the teacher Nazareno Carnevali.

Females are usually colored paler than males. On the dorsal side of the body, rock lizards have an occipital stripe composed of a set of black or brown spots and a wide line of the lizard's main color, and dark patterns on the sides of the body. In some species, blue or violet spots with white circles in the center and / or monotonous blue-violet spots at the junction of the abdominal scutes with trunk scales are located on the anterior third of the body. Most types of rock lizards are characterized by a diverse color of the abdominal side of the body, ranging from various shades of pink, red and orange to yellow and green.

The first neck vertebra, the atlas, had a small intercentrum as well as a reduced pleurocentrum which was only present in mature individuals. Although the atlantal pleurocentrum (when present) was wedged between the intercentrum of the atlas and intercentrum of the succeeding axis vertebra (as in amniotes), the low bone development in this area of the neck contrasts with the characteristic atlas-axis complex of amniotes. In addition, later studies found that the atlas intercentrum was divided into a left and right portion, more like that of amphibian-grade tetrapods. Unlike almost all other Paleozoic tetrapods (amniote or otherwise), Seymouria completely lacks any bony remnants of scales or scutes, not even the thin, circular belly scales of other seymouriamorphs.

The skulls, though of large and thus not juvenile individuals, do not show a distinctive pattern of fused caputegulae, head tiles. This inspired Carpenter to propose an alternative hypothesis of ankylosaur skull osteoderm formation. Formerly, it had been assumed that such armour plates were either formed by direct skin ossification into distinct scutes which later fused to the skull (the more popular theory), or by a reaction of the skull bones to the pattern of overlying scales. The lack of a clear pattern in Cedarpelta suggested to Carpenter that the ossification took place in an intermediate layer between the scales and the skull roof itself, which he surmised to have been the periosteum.

The terminal soft rays of both the anal and dorsal fins are nearly twice as long as the penultimate rays, forming distinctive finlet-like structures, although are still attached to the main fin structure by interradial membranes. The lateral line is slightly arched anteriorally, with the intersection of the curved and straight section occurring below the sixth to eighth dorsal soft ray. The curved section contains between 39 and 57 scales, while the straight section has no to 10 scales and 36 to 49 scutes. Another of the major distinguishing features of the species is an adipose eyelid which fully encloses the eye except for a small vertical slit over the pupil.

Ophthalmology in Ancient Egypt Parts of turtles were used to grind eye paint, which was applied both as a cosmetic and to protect eyes from infection and over-exposure to sun, dust, wind, and insects.Photo of Turtle Palette The flesh of Trionyx was eaten from Predynastic times to as late as the Old Kingdom, and later the flesh of turtles began to be considered an "abomination of Ra" and the role of these animals became an evil one. Turtle carapaces and scutes from Red Sea Turtles (Chelonia Imbricata) were used in rings, bracelets, dishes, bowls, knife hilts, amulets, and combs. Land tortoise carapaces from Kleinmann's tortoise were used as sounding boards for lutes, harps and mandolins.

The first dorsal fin is moderately high, with the longest spine about as high as the soft dorsal-fin lobe is long, and is quite distinctive of the species. The anal fin consists of two anteriorly detached spines followed by one spine and 21 to 24 soft rays, with the pelvic fin having one spine and 18 or 19 soft rays. The lateral line has a moderately strong anterior arch with the junction of the curved and straight sections occurring vertically below the twelfth to fifteenth soft rays of the second dorsal fin. The curved segment of the lateral line is longer than the straight section, which contains no to six scales followed by 22 to 32 scutes.

The pelvic fins are short, and fit in fairly pronounced ventral grooves, similar to that of Atropus atropos The lateral line is moderately arched anteriorly, with the curved section containing 57 to 77 scales, while the straight section contains 25 to 43 elements, 11 to 24 of which are weak scutes. Another of the diagnostic traits of the longfin trevally is the scaleless breast, extending from the origin of the pelvic fins to the base of the pectoral fin and anteriorly to the gill cover. There are 24 vertebrae in the species. The longfin trevally's colour is variable with age, although maintains a general colouration of greyish blue above, fading to a whitish silver near the belly region.

In Central and South America, the alligator family is represented by six species of the subfamily Caimaninae, which differ from the alligator by the absence of a bony septum between the nostrils, and having ventral armour composed of overlapping bony scutes, each of which is formed of two parts united by a suture. Besides the three species in Caiman, the smooth- fronted caimans in genus Paleosuchus and the black caiman in Melanosuchus are described. Caimans tend to be more agile and crocodile-like in their movements, and have longer, sharper teeth than alligators. C. crocodilus, the spectacled caiman, has the widest distribution, from southern Mexico to the northern half of Argentina, and grows to a modest size of about .

Two closely related species, Polyodon spathula (American paddlefish) and Psephurus gladius (Chinese paddlefish, extinct) are of the same order, Acipenseriformes, but are in the family Polyodontidae and are not considered to be "true" sturgeons. Both sturgeons and paddlefish have been referred to as "primitive fishes" because their morphological characteristics have remained relatively unchanged since the earliest fossil record. Sturgeons are native to subtropical, temperate and sub-Arctic rivers, lakes and coastlines of Eurasia and North America. Sturgeons are long-lived, late-maturing fishes with distinctive characteristics, such as a heterocercal caudal fin similar to those of sharks, and an elongated, spindle-like body that is smooth-skinned, scaleless, and armored with five lateral rows of bony plates called scutes.

In 1982, Roger Bour and Charles Crumly each separated Geochelone into different genera based on anatomic differences, especially in the skulls. That resulted in the formation or restoration of several genera: Aldabrachelys, Astrochelys, Cylindraspis, Indotestudo, Manouria, and Chelonoidis. Chelonoidis was distinguished from other Geochelone by their South American location, as well as the absence of the nuchal scute (the marginal centered over the neck) and the presence of a large, undivided supracaudal (the scute or scutes directly over the tail), as well as differences in the skull. Many of these generic names are still debated; for example, no specific definition of Geochelone is given, and Chelonoidis is primarily used for geography rather than unique anatomic characteristics.

Compared to other prehistoric agnathan groups, such as the Heterostraci and Osteostraci, anaspids did not possess a bony shield or armor, hence their name. The anaspid head and body are instead covered in an array of small, weakly mineralized scales, with a row of massive scutes running down the back, and, at least confirmed among the birkeniids, the body was covered in rows of tile-like scales made of aspidine, an acellular bony tissue. Anaspids all had prominent, laterally placed eyes with no sclerotic ring, with the gills opened as a row of holes along either side of the animal, typically numbering anywhere from 6-15 pairs. The major synapomorphy for the anaspids is the large, tri-radiate spine behind the series of the gill openings.

Entradasuchus is based on CU-MWC 183-11, a skeleton including at least the upper surfaces of the skull, articulated armor scutes from the neck to the tail, and some limb bones, all preserved in top (dorsal) view. The exact composition of the specimen was unknown at the time of its description, because it is preserved in sandstone that is harder than the calcite that has replaced the bones, which makes preparation difficult. Additionally, much of the visible part of the skeleton is represented by mold impressions of eroded bones. The block containing the specimen weathered from canyon walls and probably came from the middle Moab Member of the Entrada Sandstone, dated to the very late middle Callovian of the Middle Jurassic.

The giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis), also known as the lowly trevally, barrier trevally, giant kingfish or ulua, is a species of large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae. The giant trevally is distributed throughout the tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, with a range stretching from South Africa in the west to Hawaii in the east, including Japan in the north and Australia in the south. Two were documented in the eastern tropical Pacific in the 2010s (one captured off Panama and another sighted at the Galápagos), but it remains to be seen if the species will become established there. The giant trevally is distinguished by its steep head profile, strong tail scutes, and a variety of other more detailed anatomical features.

Dromotectum is an extinct genus of bystrowianid reptiliomorph from the Late Permian of China and Early Triassic of Russia. Two species have been named: the type species D. spinosum and the species D. largum. D. spinosum, the first species to be named, comes from Lower Triassic deposits in the Samara Region of European Russia and is known from the holotype PIN 2424/23, which consists of armor scutes, and from PIN 2424/65, 4495/14 and 2252/397. It was found in the Staritskaya Formation of the Rybinskin Horizon and named by I.V. Novikov and M.A. Shishkin in 2000. The generic name means “corridor with hipped vault” (dromos in Greek) + “roof” (tecton), and the specific name means “spinous” (spinosum in Latin).

All fins are spinous (excluding the low-slung pectoral fins) and rounded: the single dorsal fin has three to three to eight spines and 10–19 soft rays; the pelvic fins are thoracic with one spine and six or seven soft rays; the anal fin has two or three spines and eight to 12 soft rays; and even the forked caudal fin possesses four to seven procurrent spines on each lobe. The scales of slimeheads are ctenoid, but vary interspecifically; they range from deciduous to adherent. In most species, the ventral scales between the pelvic fin and anus have been modified into a median ridge of large, bony scutes. The lateral line is uninterrupted and fairly obvious; its pores are largely obscured by the scales' well-developed spinules or ctenii.

Juveniles are known to inhabit either inshore habitats such as estuaries, with an influx of these small fish after spawning in South Africa, while in other cases juveniles have been found living pelagically around floating objects. There has been one documented hybrid involving the bigeye trevally, a cross between C. sexfasciatus and C. melampygus (bluefin trevally), taken from the waters of Kane'ohe Bay, Hawaii. The specimen was initially thought to be a bigeye trevally, however a lack of the black opercular spot, light coloured scutes and a smaller than normal eye led to the specimen being examined in more detail. DNA analysis confirmed a hybrid between C. sexfasciatus and C. melampygus, which has been difficult to explain due to the two species vastly different lifestyles and spawning characteristics.

Tortoiseshell was widely used from ancient times in the North and in Asia, until the trade was banned in 2014. It was used, normally in thin slices or pieces, in the manufacture of a wide variety of items such as combs, small boxes and frames and inlays in furniture (known as Boulle Work carried out by André-Charles Boulle) and other items, frames for spectacles, guitar picks and knitting needles. Despite being expensive, tortoiseshell was attractive to manufacturers and consumers because of its beautiful mottled appearance, its durability, and its organic warmth against the skin.Tortoiseshell ban threatens Japanese tradition, CNN website The initial processing involved separating the layers of the scutes from the animal's carapace by heating, softening the plates by boiling them in salt water and flattening them under a press.

The dorsal fin is in two sections, the first consisting of eight spines and the second of one spine and 28 to 31 soft rays, with the lobe of the second dorsal fin being slightly falcate in younger individuals, but is always shorter than the head length. The anal fin has two detached spines followed by one spine attached to 24 to 26 soft rays, while the pelvic fin has one spine attached to 21 or 22 soft rays. The lateral line has a very slight anterior arch, with the intersection of the straight and curved sections between the 15th and 19th soft rays of the dorsal fin. The curved section contains 96 to 106 scales, while the straight section contains 20 to 30 scales and 21 to 28 scutes.

The dorsal fin is divided into two distinct sections, the first containing 8 spines, while the second consists of 1 spine and 20 to 22 soft rays, with the lobe of this second fin being elongate and longer than the head length. The anal fin consists of 2 anteriorly detached spines followed by 1 spine attached to 18 or 19 soft rays, while the pelvic fin has 1 spine followed by 18 or 19 soft rays. The lateral line has a moderate anterior arch, with the chord of this arch slightly shorter than the straight section, another feature which separates C. oblongus from C. dinema. The curved section of the lateral line has 60 to 69 scales while the straight section has 0 to 2 scales and 37 to 42 scutes.

However, muscle scars or other indications of attachment have not been found for the plates, which argues against a respiratory function. Recent histological study of layered plates from a probable subadult indicates that they may have started as cartilage and became bone as the animal aged. Such plates are known from several other ornithopods and their cerapodan relatives. The nature of this genus' integument, be it scales or something else, is currently unknown, although potential evidence exists: Charles Gilmore described patches of carbonized material near the shoulders as possible epidermis, with a "punctured" texture, but no regular pattern, and William J. Morris suggested that armor was present, in the form of small scutes he interpreted as located at least along the midline of the neck of one specimen.

Parahesperornis is a genus of prehistoric flightless birds from the Late Cretaceous. Its range in space and time may have been extensive, but its remains are rather few and far between, at least compared with its contemporary relatives in Hesperornis. Remains are known from central North America, namely the former shallows of the Western Interior Seaway in Kansas. Found only in the upper Niobrara Chalk, these are from around the Coniacian- Santonian boundary, 85-82 million years ago (mya). Photograph of scutes and feather impressions of the tarsal region of specimen (KUVP 2287) published by Williston (1898) in the University Geological Survey of Kansas Parahesperornis alexi (Martin, 1984) was long lumped with specimen YPM 1478, described initially as Hesperornis gracilis and later moved to the monotypic genus Hargeria (Lucas, 1903).

Ankylosaurus had some smaller osteoderms with a keel across the midline. Cervical half ring from the neck of Euoplocephalus (A–B) compared with half-ring fragments (C–J) of Ankylosaurus (AMNH 5895), and possible back osteoderms (K–L) Like other ankylosaurids, Ankylosaurus had (armor plates on the neck), but these are known only from fragments, making their exact arrangement uncertain. Carpenter suggested that when seen from above, the plates would have been paired, creating an inverted V-shape across the neck, with the midline gap probably being filled with small ossicles (round bony scutes) to allow for movement. He believed the width of this armor belt was too wide to have fitted solely on the neck, and that it covered the base of the neck and continued onto the shoulder region.

If the ornithischian quills are homologous with bird feathers, their presence in an allosauroid like Concavenator would be expected. However, if ornithischian quills are not related to feathers, the presence of these structures in Concavenator would show that feathers had begun to appear in earlier, more primitive forms than coelurosaurs. Conventional restoration of Concavenator with scales, a sail and a small amount of quills Feathers or related structures would then likely be present in the first members of the clade Neotetanurae, which lived in the Middle Jurassic. No impressions of any kind of integument were found near the arm, although extensive scale impressions were preserved on other portions of the body, including broad, rectangular scales on the underside of the tail, bird- like scutes on the feet, and plantar pads on the undersides of the feet.

Illustration of the Liverpool specimen, the holotype of P. stanleyi (a junior synonym of P. albus), by Keulemans, 1875 The ornithologist Sidney Dillon Ripley found the white swamphen to be intermediate between the takahē and the purple swamphen in 1977, based on patterns of the leg-scutes, and reported that X-rays of bones also showed similarities with the takahē. He considered only the Vienna specimen to be a white swamphen, whereas he considered the Liverpool specimen to be an albino Australasian swamphen (listing P. stanleyi as a junior synonym of that bird) from New Zealand. In 1991, the ornithologist Ian Hutton reported subfossil bones of the white swamphen. Hutton agreed that the birds described as having white-and- blue feathers were hybrids between the white swamphen and the Australasian swamphen, an idea also considered by the ornithologists Barry Taylor and Ber van Perlo in 2000.

G. notabilis restoration Gryposaurus was a hadrosaurid of typical size and shape; one of the best specimens of this genus, the nearly complete type specimen of Kritosaurus incurvimanus (now regarded as a synonym of Gryposaurus notabilis) came from an animal about long. This specimen also has the best example of skin impressions for Gryposaurus, showing this dinosaur to have had several different types of scalation: pyramidal, ridged, limpet-shaped scutes upwards of 3.8 centimeters long (1.5 inches) on the flank and tail; uniform polygonal scales on the neck and sides of the body; and pyramidal structures, flattened side-to-side, with fluted sides, longer than tall and found along the top of the back in a single midline row. The three named species of Gryposaurus differ in details of the skull and lower jaw. The prominent nasal arch found in this genus is formed from the paired nasal bones.

The epidermal exoskeleton of the alligator consists of oblong horny scales, arranged in transverse rows; the long axes of the scales are parallel to that of the body. On the tail, except along the mid-dorsal line, and on the ventral side of the trunk and head these scales are very regular in outline and arrangement; on the sides of the head and trunk and on the legs they are much smaller and less regularly arranged, while along the mid-dorsal line of the tail, especially in its posterior half, they are elevated into tall keels that give the tail a large surface area for swimming. The first three digits of both manus (fore foot) and pes (hind foot) are armed with horny claws, which also belong to the epidermal part of the exoskeleton. The dermal exoskeleton consists of bony scutes that underlie the epidermal scales of the dorsal surface of the trunk and anterior part of the tail.

Talarurus was described and named by the Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev in 1952. Specimen PIN 557, the original holotype designated by Maleev, included a fragmentary skull with the posterior part of the skull roof, including the occipital region and the basicranium, numerous vertebrae, several ribs, a scapulocoracoid, a humerus, a radius, an ulna, a nearly complete manus, a partial ilium, an ischium, a femur, a tibia, a fibula, a nearly complete pes, and assorted armor and scutes. The generic name, Talarurus, is derived from the Greek τάλαρος ("tálaros", meaning basket or wicker cage) and οὐρά ("ourā́", meaning rear or tail), in a reference to the club end of the tail which bears resemblance to a wicker basket, and the length of the tail which consists of interlaced bony struts, reminiscent of the weave that is employed when making wicker baskets. The specific name, "plicatospineus", is derived from the Latin plicātus (meaning folded) and spīneus (meaning thorny or spiny), in a reference to the numerous osteoderms that gave form to its armor in life.

The generic name refers to the Lameta Formation, dating from the Maastrichtian, the specific name refers to India. However, Matley no longer identified it as a theropod but as a member of the Stegosauria instead, which concept at the time also included the armoured dinosaurs today assigned to the Ankylosauria; at first Matley had seen it as a stegosaurian in the modern sense and even intended to name it as a species of Omosaurus. The type specimen consisted of a number of dermal scutes, a sacrum of at least five sacral vertebrae, a pelvis, a tibia and teeth.Matley, C.A., 1923, "Note on an armoured dinosaur from the Lameta beds of Jubbulpore", Records of the Geological Survey of India, 55: 105-109 In 1933 Matley and Friedrich von Huene described some more remains collected by Barnum Brown, thought to have been part of a tail club;Huene, F. von, & Matley, C.A., 1933, "The Cretaceous Saurischia and Ornithischia of the central provinces of India", Palaeontologia Indica, 21: 1–74 later this was shown to be a large osteoderm. However, in 1935 Dhirendra Kishore Chakravarti contested the interpretation as an armoured dinosaur.

Specimen of S. imperator prior to restoration During the course of several expeditions on the Sahara from 1946 to 1959, led by the French paleontologist Albert-Félix de Lapparent, several fossils of a crocodyliform of large size were unearthed in the region known as the Continental Intercalaire Formation, some of them were found in Foggara Ben Draou, in Mali and near the town of Aoulef, Algeria (informally named as the Aoulef Crocodile) while others came from the Ain el Guettar Formation of Gara Kamboute, in the south of Tunisia, the fossils found were fragments of the skull, teeth, scutes and vertebrae. In 1957, in the region now known as the Elrhaz Formation in the north of Niger several isolated teeth of great size were found by H. Faure. The study of this material by French paleontologist France De Broin helped identify them as coming from a new long snouted crocodile. Later, in 1964, the research team of the French CEA discovered an almost complete skull in region of Gadoufaoua, in the north of Niger, said skull was shipped to Paris for study and became the holotype of the then new genus and species Sarcosuchus imperator in 1966.

Eileanchelys is characterized by the following features: the presence of nasal; elongated postorbital skull; absence of flooring of the cavum acustico-jugulare; processus interfenestralis of the opisthotic more slender than that of more basal forms but more robust than that of crown-group turtles; separate openings of the canalis cavernosum and canalis stapedio-temporalis present within the cavum acustico-jugulare; a reduced thickness of the basicranium floor comparable with that of crown-group turtles; well-developed antrum postoticum; flat and horizontal vomer that is free of contacts for most of its length except at its extremities and along a short suture with the prefrontal; absence of processus trochlearis oticum; posteroventrally open incisura columellae auris; at least eight neurals (an additional plate between neural 8 and suprapygal 1 may be a ninth neural or a supernumerary suprapygal), two broad suprapygals, and eight costals present; absence of carapacial or plastral fontanelle in adult individuals; one short but broad cervical scute present; vertebral scutes wider than pleurals; vertebral 3–4 sulcus on neural 6; reduced cleithrum present; arrow-shaped entoplastron that does not separate the epiplastra anteriorly; one pair of mesoplastra that meet medially; one small pair of extragulars present; and anal scute that does not reach the hypoplastron.