Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 31 views

    Vertebrates: With Three Main Functions: Protection, Regulation, and Sensation

    Uploaded by

    Kathleen Castañeda Fernandez
    - Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates that has three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. - It protects the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organs from pathogens and excessive water loss. Skin thickness and properties vary in different parts of the body and between species. - In mammals, skin has hair that provides insulation, and in some animals like reptiles and birds it contains scales and feathers made of keratin for additional protection.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Vertebrates: With Three Main Functions: Protection, Regulation, and Sensation

    Uploaded by

    Kathleen Castañeda Fernandez
    31 views2 pages
    - Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates that has three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. - It protects the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organs from pathogens and excessive water loss. Skin thickness and properties vary in different parts of the body and between species. - In mammals, skin has hair that provides insulation, and in some animals like reptiles and birds it contains scales and feathers made of keratin for additional protection.

    Original Description:

    The skin

    Original Title

    Skin

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    - Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates that has three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. - It protects the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organs from pathogens and excessive water loss. Skin thickness and properties vary in different parts of the body and between species. - In mammals, skin has hair that provides insulation, and in some animals like reptiles and birds it contains scales and feathers made of keratin for additional protection.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    31 views2 pages

    Vertebrates: With Three Main Functions: Protection, Regulation, and Sensation

    Uploaded by

    Kathleen Castañeda Fernandez
    - Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates that has three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. - It protects the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organs from pathogens and excessive water loss. Skin thickness and properties vary in different parts of the body and between species. - In mammals, skin has hair that provides insulation, and in some animals like reptiles and birds it contains scales and feathers made of keratin for additional protection.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 2

    Skin

     Read in another language



     Watch this page
     Edit
    This article is about the outer covering of animals. For skin in humans, see human skin. For other uses,
    see Skin (disambiguation).

    Skin is the soft outer tissue covering of vertebrates with three main functions:
    protection, regulation, and sensation.[1]
    Skin

    Skin of an elephant

    Details

    Identifiers

    Latin Cutis

    MeSH D012867

    TA A16.0.00.002

    FMA 7163

    Anatomical terminology
    [edit on Wikidata]

    Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have


    different developmental origin, structure and chemical composition. The
    adjective cutaneous means "of the skin" (from Latin cutis, skin). In mammals, the
    skin is an organ of the integumentary systemmade up of multiple layers
    of ectodermaltissue, and guards the
    underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Skin of a different nature
    exists in amphibians, reptiles, and birds.[2] All mammals have some hair on their
    skin, even marine mammals like whales, dolphins, and porpoises which appear to
    be hairless. The skin interfaces with the environment and is the first line of defense
    from external factors. For example, the skin plays a key role in protecting
    the body against pathogens[3] and excessive water loss.[4] Its other functions
    are insulation, temperatureregulation, sensation, and the production of vitamin
    D folates. Severely damaged skin may heal by forming scar tissue. This is
    sometimes discoloured and depigmented. The thickness of skin also varies from
    location to location on an organism. In humans for example, the skin located under
    the eyes and around the eyelids is the thinnest skin in the body at 0.5 mm thick,
    and is one of the first areas to show signs of aging such as "crows feet" and
    wrinkles. The skin on the palms and the soles of the feet is 4 mm thick and is the
    thickest skin on the body. The speed and quality of wound healing in skin is
    promoted by the reception of estrogen.[5][6][7]
    Fur is dense hair.[8] Primarily, fur augments the insulation the skin provides but
    can also serve as a secondary sexual characteristic or as camouflage. On some
    animals, the skin is very hard and thick, and can be processed to
    create leather. Reptiles and fish have hard protective scales on their skin for
    protection, and birds have hard feathers, all made of tough β-
    keratins. Amphibian skin is not a strong barrier, especially regarding the passage of
    chemicals via skin and is often subject to osmosis and diffusive forces. For example,
    a frog sitting in an anestheticsolution would be sedated quickly, as the chemical
    diffuses through its skin. Amphibian skin plays key roles in everyday survival and
    their ability to exploit a wide range of habitats and ecological conditions.[9]

    You might also like