One of the enlarged ventral (belly) scales that run in a single row along the underside of a snake's body.
From Greek 'gastro-' (stomach or belly) + 'stegon' (roof or covering). The term literally means 'belly covering' and refers to the specialized scales snakes use for locomotion.
If you flip a snake over, you'll see these wide, flat scales running down its belly—they're like a snake's internal traction system, helping it grip the ground way better than if it had regular scales all over!
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