scute

A horny, chitinous, or bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle or the skin of crocodiles.

Then one afternoon, as he's stripping the scutes and hide from a shortnose sturgeon, an idea hits him.

A proneural gene, often associated with achaete, that is required for the formation of many larval and adult sense organs

A small shield.

But yet they ouer shote vs Wyth crownes and wyth scutus; With scutis and crownes of gold I drede we are bought and solde; […]

An old French gold coin.