scute
1
9.9
- noun
- /skjuːt/
- Specialized
:
escudo
- Scientists study the scutes of ancient reptiles to learn more about their evolution and behavior.
- vertebrae and scutes
Examples
-
Each scute on the armadillo's back helps to shield it from threats in its environment.
-
I gazed up at the yellow belly-scutes, hard and shiny as pressed wax.
Fiction book (1992) -
Thirteen is the number of lunar months in a year as well as the number of scutes, or large scales, on a tortoise's carapace.
Academic text (1990) -
For example, hawksbill turtles are endangered in every ocean basin as a result of exploitation of "tortoiseshell" scutes for artisan products.
Academic text (2009) -
The clearest feature of Ankylosaurus is its armor, consisting of enormous knobs and plates of bone, identified as osteoderms or scutes, embedded in the skin.
Blog text (2) -
The turtle's scute provided protection against predators with its hard, bony surface.
How Protective
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scute comes from the Latin word scutum, which means 'shield'. Think of each scute as a small shield on a turtle or armadillo, so the word means a hard plate that protects the animal.