词条 | Keeled scales |
释义 |
Klauber (1997), describes how the keels on the scales of rattlesnakes are particularly strong mid-dorsally, but gradually weaken on the lateral rows with the ventral scales being smooth. He stated that the function of the keels was uncertain, but that since they reduced shininess, and thus made it easier for the animals to conceal themselves, it afforded them an evolutionary advantage.[3] In some vipers, most notably those of the genus Echis, the lateral scales are not only keeled, but the keels have minute serrations. The snakes use this in a warning/threat display: the body is arranged into a series of parallel C-shaped (counterlooped) coils that they rub together continuously to produce a sizzling sound, rather like water on a hot plate. This method of making sound is called stridulation.[4]K GalleryReferences1. ^Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. {{ISBN|0-8014-4141-2}}. 2. ^Street D. 1979. The Reptiles of Northern and Central Europe. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. 268 pp. {{ISBN|0-7134-1374-3}}. 3. ^Klauber LM. 1997. Rattlesnakes: Their Habitats, Life Histories, and Influence on Mankind. Second Edition. First published in 1956, 1972. University of California Press, Berkeley. {{ISBN|0-520-21056-5}}. 4. ^Mallow D, Ludwig D, Nilson G. 2003. True Vipers: Natural History and Toxinology of Old World Vipers. Malabar, Florida: Krieger Publishing Company. 359 pp. {{ISBN|0-89464-877-2}}. 1 : Snake scales |
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