Non-sidewinder skin (IMAGE)

Emory Health Sciences

Non-sidewinder skin

Caption

The Mexican lance-headed rattlesnake (Crotalus polystictus) moves by slithering forward. A micrograph from the study, above, of the skin of its belly reveals spikes that are normally invisible to the eye. The micrograph image shows a surface 20 microns wide, or about a third of the width of a human hair.

Credit

Tai-De Li

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