Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Parietal scales

Snake head scales connected to frontals to posterior

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated August 6, 2025
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Parietal scales are the scales of a snake located on the snake's head and are connected to the frontals towards the posterior. These plate-like scales are analogous to and take their name from the parietal bone, which forms the roof and sides of the cranium in humans.

Watch videos about Parietal scalesExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Parietal scales”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.

Continue exploring

Related topics

Parietal bone

The parietal bones are two bones in the skull which, when joined at a fibrous joint known as a cranial suture, form the sides and roof of the neurocranium. In humans, each bone is roughly quadrilateral in form, and has two surfaces, four borders, and four angles.

Snake scale

Snakes, like other reptiles, have skin covered in scales. Snakes are entirely covered with scales or scutes of various shapes and sizes, known as snakeskin as a whole.

Anatomical terms of location

Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position.