Yahoo News London Zoo releases incredible X-ray images of its animals
London Zoo has released stunning X-ray images of its animals.
The pictures were taken during routine health checks of its 18,000 animals and include snakes and armadillos.
The image of Cornelius, a corn snake, is particularly striking, containing as it does hundreds of vertebrae – compared to the 33 inside a human.
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ZSL London Zoo veterinary nurse Heather Mackintosh said: “We can tell so much about an animal’s health from looking at an X-ray – from the strength of their bones to how healthy their heart is.
“They’re vital to our work, and even though we get to see unique X-rays fairly often we still think that they’re absolutely fascinating.
“Most people can recognise a human X-ray, but they probably haven’t seen the individual segments of a large hairy armadillo’s exoskeleton, or the long tail bones of a big-headed turtle.”
