integumentary system of mammals
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The integumentary system is vital to every mammal's body. Skin and its accessory organs such as fingernails and hair make up this system. The purposes of the integumentary system are to protect the body from infection and injury, regulate body temperature, remove waste from the body, protect the body from UV rays, and produce vitamin D.
When a human being is still a tiny embryo inside of it's mother, it does not yet have the organs of a fully developed human. By day 15-16 of development, the three "germ" layers of the embryo have fully developed. These layers are called the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm, and are the parts from which all of our body systems are derived. Part of the outermost layer, the ectoderm, develops into the nervous system, while the rest forms the integumentary system.
Epithelial tissue forms the skin of most mammals. It covers and protects internal cavities, organs, and tubes. Skin cells of terrestrial mammals have contain keratin, which prevents their bodies from losing water...