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The scales do not increase in number as the snake matures nor do they reduce in number over time. The scales however grow larger in size and may change shape with each moult. [9] Snakes have smaller scales around the mouth and sides of the body which allow expansion so that a snake can consume prey of much larger width than itself.
Reptile scale. Reptile skin is covered with scutes or scales which, along with many other characteristics, distinguish reptiles from animals of other classes. They are made of alpha and beta-keratin and are formed from the epidermis (contrary to fish, in which the scales are formed from the dermis). The scales may be ossified or tubercular, as ...
Snakes are elongated, limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (/ sɜːrˈpɛntiːz /). [2] Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads ...
Cloaca. A cloaca (/ kloʊˈeɪkə / ⓘ kloh-AY-kə), pl.: cloacae (/ kloʊˈeɪsi / kloh-AY-see or / kloʊˈeɪki / kloh-AY-kee), is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive, reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, and a few mammals (monotremes ...
Snakes can be ornately patterned. They can be striped, banded, solid, green, blue, yellow, red, black, orange, brown, spotted, or have a unique pattern all their own. These color schemes can serve many functions, including camouflage, heat absorption or reflection, or may play other, less understood roles.
Indian python (Python molurus) The Pythonidae, commonly known as pythons, are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. Among its members are some of the largest snakes in the world. Ten genera and 39 species are currently recognized. Being naturally non-venomous, pythons must constrict their prey to induce a cardiac ...
A chinchilla with large macrovibrissae. Whiskers or vibrissae (/ vəˈbrɪsi /; sg.: vibrissa; / vəˈbrɪsə /) are a type of stiff, functional hair used by most mammals to sense their environment. [ 1 ] These hairs are finely specialised for this purpose, whereas other types of hair are coarser as tactile sensors.
Forked tongue. A forked tongue is a tongue split into two distinct tines at the tip; this is a feature common to many species of reptiles. Reptiles smell using the tip of their tongue, and a forked tongue allows them to sense from which direction a smell is coming. [citation needed] Sensing from both sides of the head and following trails based ...