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)
Mario, a large hairy armadillo (ZSL London Zoo)

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)
PB, a Tokay gecko (ZSL London Zoo)

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)
Nasi, a big-headed turtle (ZSL London Zoo)

“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.”