Unlike most other animals that live in deserts, Androctonus does not dig burrows to protect itself from a sandstorm. Instead, it can withstand sandstorms powerful enough to strip paint off steel, without any apparent damage. The resistance of Androctonus to sandstorms is suspected to be due to the discovery of its odd exoskeleton surface. Its armor is covered with dome-shaped granules that are 10 µm (0.0004 in) high and 25–80 µm (0.0010–0.0031 in) across. When its odd surface is translated into other materials it protects them to a certain degree as well, which has led to the possibility of the applicability of imitation surfaces in such objects as aeroplanes and helicopters.