Rostral scale

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Echis carinatus sochureki
Echis carinatus sochureki
The rostral scale.
The rostral scale.
The shield-nose cobra (genus Aspidelaps) has a greatly enlarged rostral scale.
The shield-nose cobra (genus Aspidelaps) has a greatly enlarged rostral scale.

The rostral scale, or rostral, in snakes and other scaled reptiles refers to the median plate on the tip of the snout that borders the mouth opening.[1] It corresponds to the mental scale in the lower jaw. The term pertains to the rostrum, or nose. In snakes, the shape and size of this scale is one of many characteristics used to differentiate species from one another.

[edit] Cited references

  1. ^ Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0.

[edit] Related scales

[edit] See also