The lore (adj. loreal) is the region between the eyes and nostrils of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Ornithology
In ornithology, the lore is the region between the eye and bill on the side of a
bird's head. This region is sometimes featherless, and the skin may be tinted, as in many species of the
cormorant
Phalacrocoracidae is a family of approximately 40 species of aquatic birds commonly known as cormorants and shags. Several different classifications of the family have been proposed, but in 2021 the IOC adopted a consensus taxonomy of seven ge ...
family.
This area, which is directly in front of the eye, features a "loral stripe" in many bird species including the
red-capped plover.
Herpetology
In
amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terres ...
s and
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...
s, lore pertains to the regions immediately adjacent to the eyes and between the eyes and nostrils. These are analogous to the lore on
birds which corresponds to the region between the eye and the beak.
In
snakes and reptiles, a loreal scale also refers to the
scales which lie between the eye and the nostril.
In
crotaline snakes (pit vipers),
loreal pits are present on either side of the head.
[Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. 2 volumes. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. .]
See also
*
Snake scales
*
Anatomical terms of location
References
{{Reflist, 40em
Bird anatomy
Snake scales
Reptile anatomy
Amphibian anatomy