Which animal has the thinnest skin? 0 108

Skin refers to any external tissue of an animal, including the coverings of microscopic invertebrates.

However, in the strict sense, it refers only to the outer coverings of chordates. The thinnest skin is found in the lancelet, a small marine animal (in the photo).

This skin consists of a single layer of epithelial cells that are attached to a dense extracellular matrix. It is nearly impossible to separate such skin from the body.

Among mammals, the thinnest skin is found on the flight membrane of bats' wings: in the case of the evening bat, for example, its thickness is 20 microns in some areas.