https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/201713900005
Microstructure-mediated Optical Effects in Southern African Snakes
School of Animal, Plant, and Environmental Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, P.O. Wits, 2050, South Africa
* Corresponding author: ishp2singh@gmail.com
Published online: 23 March 2017
The scales of the African Viper Bitis arietans were tested for optical effects. Spectral intensity was recorded at incident angles over the visible spectrum for dark, pale, and ventral scale regions. The lowest spectral intensity recordings were associated with scales which have the greatest level of micro-structuring. Our results indicate that scale appearance in B. arietans is a product of microstructure-mediated optical effects. The optical effect may play a role in improving the ecological performance of the snake in its natural environment.
© The Authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2017
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
