Question

many vertebrate animals have specialized structures in their skin. crocodile scutes and ostrich feathers are keratin - based structures that are analogous to the hair of mammals. in which part of the skin do you expect to find scutes and feathers embedded? adipose hypodermis dermis epidermis

Explanation:

The epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. Keratin - based structures like scutes (in crocodiles) and feathers (in ostriches) are formed from epidermal cells. Hair in mammals also has its origin in the epidermis (hair follicles are epidermal invaginations). The dermis is the layer below the epidermis which contains blood vessels, nerves, etc. The hypodermis (subcutaneous layer) is mainly for fat storage. Adipose is a type of tissue (fat tissue) found in the hypodermis.

Answer:

epidermis