CONTENTS NATURE’S ARMOR 4 SCALES vs SCUTES 6 The HISTORY of SCALES 8 WARNING SIGNS 10 SLIPPERY SCALES 12 THAT’S NOT SKIN 14 The POWER of SCUTES 16 LOTS of SCUTE USES 18 STRANGE PROTECTION 20 SURPRISING SCALES 22 GLOSSARY 23 INDEX 24 WEBSITES 24
NATURE’S ARMOR Animals have adapted or changed to better survive in their environments Adaptations help animals avoid being eaten by predators attract mates and blend in with their surroundings Two amazing adaptations are scales and scutes Reptiles fish and some other animals may have one or both of these adaptations Scales and scutes are made of keratin Scutes are a thicker type of scale They look like small shields Often scutes are larger than scales to protect the otherwise soft bodies of animals such as armadillos tortoises snakes alligators and many species or kinds of fish These two adaptations have developed Adaptation Answers At one time many scientists believed that all dinosaurs and other early reptiles were covered in feathers However only some of these creatures had feathers Many of them actually had scales or scutes 4
EMU SCUTES TORTOISE SCUTES CROCODILE SCUTES SO MANY SCALES and SCUTES IGUANA SCALES FISH SCALES SNAKE SCALES 5
