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Another useful adaption is their flat tail which is covered with black scales. Interestingly, the exact shape of the tail is variable and is a family trait passed down through the generations.
This part of their stomach is called the gizzard, and it is also covered in keratinous spines. [41] These spines further aid in the grinding up and digestion of the pangolin's prey. Some species, such as the tree pangolin, use their strong, prehensile tails to hang from tree branches and strip away bark from the trunk, exposing insect nests ...
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 ).
They have developed a number of antipredatory mechanisms to protect themselves from predators such as pythons and leopards, starting with their scales, which act as camouflage. When threatened, long-tailed pangolin roll themselves into a tight ball, exposing only their sharp scales. They may also emit a foul-smelling fluid from their anal glands.
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These scales cover the whole body besides the face, underbelly, and insides of the legs. [5] The scales are made of keratin, as are human fingernails, and are anchored at the base to the pangolin's skin. The head is small, and the snout is elongated. The feet are short, and each foot has five long curved claws.
Scales in the central or throat region, which are in contact with the first ventral scales of a snake's body and are flanked by the chin shields, are called gular scales. The mental groove is a longitudinal groove on the underside of the head between the large, paired chin shields and continuing between the smaller gular scales.
Our very ancient animal ancestors had tails. “We found a single mutation in a very important gene,” said Bo Xia, a geneticist at the Broad Institute and co-author of a study published ...