Skin

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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]