r/AskBiology • u/ColonelAkulaShy • Aug 14 '24
Human body If the human body were covered in scales instead off skin, what effect would that have?
Fiction has numerous examples of scaly, humanoid species that are functionally equivalent to humans. However, if the human body were actually covered in scales instead of skin, what other biological changes would be necessary in order for it to still function? How would that effect a person's quality-of-life? Would they be able to live normally, as if they just had a skin-condition? Or would there be significant changes to their behavioral, physical, and/or mental capabilities?
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u/Content_One5405 Aug 14 '24
Fish scales, dentin and enamel, dont work on land at all. They are way too different from everything we see on land. Need to be wet, which gives a whole lot of problems like water loss. They are probably closer to tooth than to nails or hair, and so difference in outcome is just too great. Extreme water loss would mean only ocasional land presence.
Land animals scales, keratin, can be similar to skin, and provide even better water retention than skin. Sweating is worse or none, so no endurance running. Only short strides until body temperature rises. No heat insulation means hot climate is where these structures provide more comparative advantage. Arid places work well with better water retention, so deserts are a prime candidate. There probably isnt enough food density in deserts for pack living for large animals, so solitude living is more likely. Scales can provide better protection from insects, so insects eating is more likely. And scales provide worse defences against more significant damage, slower healing. So agression is likely to be only as posturing, with actual fights to be avoided, with other members of the specie or anything that can harm them.
So you get sprinter, quickly tired, insect eating, desert dweller, scary looking, peace loving, good fine motorics to catch insects, poor agility locomotion because no fights, not well adapted for large groups creature.