rows are sometimes used to identify snake species and subspecies...counting the # of scales from one point to another can be helpful in identification.

ventrals are the long side-to-side scales that cover the belly of the snake.

subcaudals are the ventral scales after the cloaca (on the tail) used in identifying the sex of a snake. When inserting a probe the depth is measured by how many of those scales the probe reaches before it can no longer be moved further back. Females tend to have much shallower penetrating depth than do males, hence: fewer subcaudals back.
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