Keratin vs. Scale — What's the Difference?

Found in vertebrates, providing mechanical and biological protection.

Often has overlapping patterns that aid in mobility and flexibility.

A protein that forms the basis of hair and nails.

A small rigid plate that grows out of an animal's skin to provide protection.

A structural protein found in the outer layers of skin.

Composed of keratin in reptiles and birds.

Integral to the formation of filaments and structural rigidity.

Can vary in shape, size, and texture depending on the species.

An essential component for the protective qualities of epidermal cells.

Serves as a barrier against environmental hazards.

Keratin () is one of a family of fibrous structural proteins known as scleroproteins. α-Keratin is a type of keratin found in vertebrates.

One of the many small hard dermal or epidermal structures that characteristically form the external covering of fishes and reptiles and certain mammals, such as pangolins.

A fibrous protein forming the main structural constituent of hair, feathers, hoofs, claws, horns, etc.

A similar part in other animals, such as one of the thin flat overlapping structures that cover the wings of butterflies and moths.

Any of a class of filamentous proteins that are abundant in the cytoskeleton of vertebrate epithelial cells and are the main constituents of the outer layer of skin and tough epidermal structures such as hair, nails, hooves, feathers, and claws.

A small, thin, often flattened plant structure, such as one of the modified leaves that cover a tree bud or one of the structures that bear the reproductive organs on the cones of a conifer.

Material composed principally of keratin proteins.

A dry thin flake of epidermis shed from the skin.

(protein) The protein of which hair and nails are composed.

A skin lesion or lesions marked by such flakes.

A sulfur-containing fibrous protein constituting the main structural protein of hard epidermal tissues, such as horn, hair, feathers, nails, claws, hoofs, and the like. It is an insoluble substance, and, unlike elastin, is not dissolved even by gastric or pancreatic juice. By decomposition with sulphuric acid it yields leucine and tyrosine plus various other acid-stable amino acids. The amino acid composition varies, but it usually has a high percentage of cystine, which stabilizes and insolubilizes the protein by forming intrachain linkages. A softer form of keratin is present in the epidermis and whalebone. Called also epidermose.

A scale insect.

A fibrous scleroprotein that occurs in the outer layer of the skin and in horny tissues such as hair feathers nails and hooves

A plant disease or infestation caused by scale insects.

A flaky oxide film formed on a metal, as on iron, that has been heated to high temperatures.

A flake of rust.

A hard mineral coating that forms on the inside surface of boilers, kettles, and other containers in which water is repeatedly heated.

A system of ordered marks at fixed intervals used as a reference standard in measurement

An instrument or device bearing such marks.

A standard of measurement or judgment; a criterion.

A proportion used in determining the dimensional relationship of a representation to that which it represents

A calibrated line, as on a map or an architectural plan, indicating such a proportion.

Proper proportion

A progressive classification, as of size, amount, importance, or rank

A relative level or degree

A minimum wage fixed by contract

(Mathematics) A system of notation in which the values of numerical expressions are determined by their places relative to the chosen base of the system

(Music) An ascending or descending collection of pitches proceeding by a specified scheme of intervals.

An instrument or machine for weighing.

Often scales See balance.

Either of the pans, trays, or dishes of a balance.

To clear or strip of scale or scales

To remove in layers or scales

To cover with scales; encrust.

To throw or propel (a thin flat object) through the air or along a surface, such as water or ice.

(Dentistry) To remove (tartar) from tooth surfaces with a pointed instrument.

To cheat; swindle.

To ride on (a tram, for example) without paying the fare.

To come off in scales or layers; flake.

To become encrusted.

To climb up or over; ascend

To make in accord with a particular proportion or scale

To alter according to a standard or by degrees; adjust in calculated amounts

To estimate or measure the quantity of lumber in (logs or uncut trees).

To climb; ascend.

To rise in steps or stages.

To weigh with a scale.

To have a given weight, as determined by a scale

(obsolete) A ladder; a series of steps; a means of ascending.

An ordered, usually numerical sequence used for measurement, means of assigning a magnitude.

Size; scope.

The ratio of depicted distance to actual distance.

A line or bar associated with a drawing, used to indicate measurement when the image has been magnified or reduced.

(music) A series of notes spanning an octave, tritave, or pseudo-octave, used to make melodies.

A mathematical base for a numeral system; radix.

Gradation; succession of ascending and descending steps and degrees; progressive series; scheme of comparative rank or order.

A standard amount of money to be received by a performer or writer, negotiated by a union.

Part of an overlapping arrangement of many small, flat and hard pieces of keratin covering the skin of an animal, particularly a fish or reptile.

A small piece of pigmented chitin, many of which coat the wings of a butterfly or moth to give them their color.

A flake of skin of an animal afflicted with dermatitis.

Part of an overlapping arrangement of many small, flat and hard protective layers forming a pinecone that flare when mature to release pine nut seeds.

The flaky material sloughed off heated metal.

Scale mail (as opposed to chain mail).

Limescale.

A scale insect.

The thin metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife.

A device to measure mass or weight.

Either of the pans, trays, or dishes of a balance or scales.

(transitive) To change the size of something whilst maintaining proportion; especially to change a process in order to produce much larger amounts of the final product.

(transitive) To climb to the top of.

To tolerate significant increases in throughput or other potentially limiting factors.

(transitive) To weigh, measure or grade according to a scale or system.

(transitive) To remove the scales of.

(intransitive) To become scaly; to produce or develop scales.

(transitive) To strip or clear of scale; to descale.

(transitive) To take off in thin layers or scales, as tartar from the teeth; to pare off, as a surface.

(intransitive) To separate and come off in thin layers or laminae.

To scatter; to spread.

(transitive) To clean, as the inside of a cannon, by the explosion of a small quantity of powder.

The dish of a balance; hence, the balance itself; an instrument or machine for weighing; as, to turn the scale; - chiefly used in the plural when applied to the whole instrument or apparatus for weighing. Also used figuratively.

The sign or constellation Libra.

One of the small, thin, membranous, bony or horny pieces which form the covering of many fishes and reptiles, and some mammals, belonging to the dermal part of the skeleton, or dermoskeleton. See Cycloid, Ctenoid, and Ganoid.

Hence, any layer or leaf of metal or other material, resembling in size and thinness the scale of a fish; as, a scale of iron, of bone, etc.

One of the small scalelike structures covering parts of some invertebrates, as those on the wings of Lepidoptera and on the body of Thysanura; the elytra of certain annelids. See Lepidoptera.

A scale insect. (See below.

A small appendage like a rudimentary leaf, resembling the scales of a fish in form, and often in arrangement; as, the scale of a bud, of a pine cone, and the like. The name is also given to the chaff on the stems of ferns.

The thin metallic side plate of the handle of a pocketknife. See Illust. of Pocketknife.

An incrustation deposit on the inside of a vessel in which water is heated, as a steam boiler.

The thin oxide which forms on the surface of iron forgings. It consists essentially of the magnetic oxide, Fe3O4. Also, a similar coating upon other metals.

A ladder; a series of steps; a means of ascending.

Hence, anything graduated, especially when employed as a measure or rule, or marked by lines at regular intervals.

Gradation; succession of ascending and descending steps and degrees; progressive series; scheme of comparative rank or order; as, a scale of being.

Relative dimensions, without difference in proportion of parts; size or degree of the parts or components in any complex thing, compared with other like things; especially, the relative proportion of the linear dimensions of the parts of a drawing, map, model, etc., to the dimensions of the corresponding parts of the object that is represented; as, a map on a scale of an inch to a mile.

To weigh or measure according to a scale; to measure; also, to grade or vary according to a scale or system.

To strip or clear of scale or scales; as, to scale a fish; to scale the inside of a boiler.

To take off in thin layers or scales, as tartar from the teeth; to pare off, as a surface.

To scatter; to spread.

To clean, as the inside of a cannon, by the explosion of a small quantity of powder.

To separate and come off in thin layers or laminæ; as, some sandstone scales by exposure.

To separate; to scatter.

To climb by a ladder, or as if by a ladder; to ascend by steps or by climbing; to clamber up; as, to scale the wall of a fort.

To lead up by steps; to ascend.

An ordered reference standard;

Relative magnitude;

The ratio between the size of something and a representation of it;

An indicator having a graduated sequence of marks

A specialized leaf or bract that protects a bud or catkin

(music) a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme (usually within an octave)

A measuring instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass

A metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)

A flattened rigid plate forming part of the body covering of many animals

Measure by or as if by a scale;

Pattern, make, regulate, set, measure, or estimate according to some rate or standard

Take by attacking with scaling ladders;

Reach the highest point of;

Climb up by means of a ladder

Remove the scales from;

Measure with or as if with scales;

Size or measure according to a scale;

Keratin in mammals is usually soft and flexible, enhancing the resilience and elasticity of hair and skin. Scales can range from hard and rigid, like those of crocodiles, to soft and pliable, as seen in some fish.

Both keratin and scales serve protective functions in their respective organisms. Additionally, both can be composed of keratin, particularly in reptiles and birds, providing durability and defense.

Yes, keratin is also found in birds and reptiles, where it is a component of feathers, beaks, claws, and scales.

In mammals, keratin provides structural support mainly to hair, nails, and the outer layers of skin, aiding in protection and insulation. In reptiles, scales, which may also be composed of keratin, primarily serve as external armor against physical threats and help in moisture retention.

Yes, besides protection, scales also aid in functions like camouflage, aiding in predator evasion and prey capture, and in some aquatic animals, they streamline the body to facilitate smoother movement through water.

Keratin is primarily composed of fibrous proteins that form the structural components of hair, nails, and skin.

No, human hair and nails are made of keratin, not scales.

Yes, depending on the animal, scales may contain other materials like calcium or even be purely bony.

Scales protect fish by providing a hard outer coating that shields them from predators and environmental factors.

In mammals, keratin plays a critical role in protecting against environmental damage, providing structural integrity to hair and nails, and aiding in waterproofing.