I had no idea what a "scute" was until I googled it

According to Wiki : "A scute or scutum (Latin scutum, plural: scuta "shield") is a horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the skin of crocodiles. They are similar to scales, but unlike scales, they are derived from the epidermis. The term is also used to describe the scales of some armored mammals, such as the armadillo and the extinct glyptodon, and is occasionally used as an alternative to scales in the case of snakes or certain fishes."

You learn something new every day.