integument

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integument The organ which covers the body including skin, glands, hair, scales, and feathers. The integument is the largest single organ of the vertebrate body, often making up 15–20% of the body weight. The skin is composed of three types of tissue: the epidermis (derived from embryonic ectoderm); dermis (derived from mesodermal tissue and neural crest cells); and hypodermis (derived solely from mesoderm tissue). The dermis gives rise to most of the axial skeleton.

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integument