Editing Scute (section)

==Properties==
[[File:Scute of the carapace of a Texas tortoise Gopherus berlandieri.jpg|thumb|303x303px|'''Scute of the [[carapace]] of a [[Texas tortoise]]''']]
[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Glyptodon scute - detail.jpg|alt=|thumb|This detail of a ''[[Glyptodon]]'' displays its scutes. From the collection of the [[Children's Museum of Indianapolis]].]]
Scutes are similar to [[scale (zoology)|scales]] and serve the same function. Unlike the scales of lizards and snakes, which are formed from the [[Epidermis (skin)|epidermis]], scutes are formed in the lower vascular layer of the skin and the epidermal element is only the top surface {{Citation needed|date=August 2015}}. Forming in the living [[dermis]], the scutes produce a [[Horn (anatomy)|horny]] outer layer that is superficially similar to that of scales. Scutes will usually not overlap as [[snake scales]] (but see the [[pangolin]]). The outer [[keratin]] layer is shed piecemeal, and not in one continuous layer of skin as seen in snakes or lizards. The dermal base may contain [[bone]] and produce [[Armour (zoology)|dermal armour]]. Scutes with a bony base are properly called ''[[osteoderm]]s''. Dermal scutes are also found in the feet of [[birds]] and tails of some [[mammals]], and are believed to be the primitive form of dermal armour in reptiles.

The term is also used to describe the heavy armour of the [[armadillo]] and the extinct ''[[Glyptodon]]'', and is occasionally used as an alternative to scales in describing [[snake scales|snakes]] or certain fishes, such as [[sturgeon]]s, shad, herring, and menhaden.