Eye-catching X-ray images of animals at London Zoo have been released.
The pictures were taken during routine health checks of its 18,000 animals and include snakes and armadillos.
![Mario, a large hairy armadillo (ZSL London Zoo)](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2019/02/18143004/ba3ad2df-2d51-4e20-bf58-6106984dc062-640x728.png)
The image of Cornelius, a corn snake, is particularly striking, containing as it does hundreds of vertebrae – compared to the 33 inside a human.
![PB. a Tokay Gecko (ZSL London Zoo)](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2019/02/18143242/7aac1b9d-274b-4a29-8dad-c624a6e48586-640x728.png)
ZSL London Zoo veterinary nurse Heather Mackintosh said: “We can tell so much about an animal’s health from looking at an X-ray – from the strength of their bones to how healthy their heart is.
![Nasi, a big-headed turtle (ZSL London Zoo)](http://content.assets.pressassociation.io/2019/02/18143104/efc03091-84c2-42fd-b942-cd8a16bd292d-640x728.png)
“They’re vital to our work, and even though we get to see unique X-rays fairly often we still think that they’re absolutely fascinating.
“Most people can recognise a human X-ray, but they probably haven’t seen the individual segments of a large hairy armadillo’s exoskeleton, or the long tail bones of a big-headed turtle.”
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