Lipids on the surface of snake skin contribute to homeostasis by retarding transepidermal water loss.1'2*Snake skin lipids are also behavioral releasers, eliciting courtship in male snakes,3) and both anti-predator defense4'5} and predatory attack6) in interactions between snake-eating snakes and their ophidian prey.The specific structures of epidermal lipids are known for a few snake species.Best known, thanks to a detailed analysis by Ahern and Downing,7* is the Florida indigo snake (Drymarchon corais).Shed skin extracts of this species contained cholesterol, free fatty acids, and high
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Schell et al. (1985) studied this question.
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