1. 2009 Amphibians & Reptiles (B) Herpetology (C) 2009 Amphibians & Reptiles (B) Herpetology (C) Modified for New York State By JACQUELINE L. KLIMKOWKSKI New York State Co-Chairman http://www.myteacherpages.com/we bpages/JKlimkowsk/bugs KAREN LANCOUR National Bio Rules Committee Chairman karenlancour@charter.net

2. The Competition Content: Taxonomic Scheme of the 2009 Official Science Olympiad Herpetology List is used in competition Identification, anatomy & physiology, reproduction, habitat characteristics, ecology, diet, behavior, conservation, biogeography and song.

3.  Process Skills : observation, inferences, data and diagram analysis  Event Parameters : One unaltered Official National List, One field guide (published) which may be tabbed, written in, and/or have Post-it notes. National Tournament will allow East and West Field Guides.

4. Suggested Resources A Field Guide to Reptiles & Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America, by Roger Conant and Joseph T. Collins (1998) – Peterson Field Guide A Field Guide to Western Reptiles and Amphibians, by Robert C Stebbins (2003) The National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Reptiles and Amphibians by John L. Behler and F, Wayne King. For additional information on Herp taxonomy, see http://www.cnah.org/ http://www.cnah.org/

5. Specifics to New York State There will be a PowerPoint presentation made available to the Regional Event Supervisor. The presentation will have an identification (or two) and two multiple choice questions per identification. There will be at least 22 “stations” and the students will have 2 minutes at each “station”. If the PowerPoint is used they students have 45 seconds to view the picture of the amphibian or reptile alone and then 1 minute 15 seconds to answer the questions. There will be a small picture of the amphibian or reptile on the question slide.

6. The Regional Supervisor is free to convert the PowerPoint presentation to a station test or modify it to accommodate the regions live samples. Scientific names will be required for the identification but questions as to why the animal has a particular common name may be asked. Please stress to the students that they are to identify the organism as asked – if order and family are the things to be identified – that’s what they should do – not family and genus, for example.

7. The State test for both B and C divisions will be stations, with live, preserved, skeleton, or pictures of amphibians or reptiles. The Peterson Guide will be the primary source for classification as well as questions. Please check my web site at: http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpage s/JKlimkowski/bugs.cfm for resources or helpful web site. http://www.myteacherpages.com/webpage s/JKlimkowski/bugs.cfm

8. Taxonomy Official National List: Order Suborder Family Genus (species)

9. Amphibians Four limbs with claws on digits (toes) Lungs instead of gills Both internal & external nares (nostrils) Three chambered heart (two atria & one ventricle) Double loop blood circulation to lungs & rest of body cells Skin with keratin (protein) to prevent water loss Necks help to more easily see & feed

10. Amphibians Most with smooth, moist skin to take in dissolved oxygen Some with oral glands to moisten food they eat Webbed toes without claws Ectothermic - body temperature changes with environment Show dormancy or torpor (state of inactivity during unfavorable environmental conditions) Hibernate in winter and aestivate in summer Aquatic larva called tadpole goes through metamorphosis to adult Metamorphosis

11. Amphibians External fertilization with amplexus (male clasps back of female as sperm & eggs deposited into water) Eggs coated with sticky, jelly like material so they attach to objects in water & do not float away Eggs hatch into tadpoles in about 12 days Males with vocal sacs to croak Digested system adapted to swallow prey whole Well developed muscular system

12. FROGS AND TOADS Frog skin smooth & moist for cutaneous respiration Toads is rough & warty with poison glands

13. Amphibians – Frogs & Toads ID Traits

14. Amphibians – Hind Feet True frogs a. True frogs – webbed toes Tree frogs b. Tree frogs – toe pads & webbing Toads c. Toads – tubercles & no webbing Spadefoot Toads d. Spadefoot Toads – thorny projections(spade) and reduced webbing

15. Characteristics of Frogs & Toads Both terrestrial & freshwater species Tadpole with tail, gills, & two- chambered heart Adults without a tail, four limbs, & lungs Long hind limbs for jumping Long, forked tongue hinged at front of mouth

16. Salamander ID features

17. Salamanders and Newts Have elongated bodies with a tail & 4 limbs Smooth, most skin for cutaneous respiration Less able to stay on dry land than frog and toads Nocturnal when live in drier areas Newts are aquatic species

18. Reptiles – Terrestrial Adaptations Dry, watertight skin covered by scales to prevent desiccation (water loss) Toes with claws to dig & climb Geckos have toes modified into suction cups to aid climbing Snakes use scales & well developed muscular & skeletal systems to move Ectothermic - body temperature controlled by environment May bask or lie in sun to raise body temperature or seek shade to lower body temperature; known as thermoregulation

19. Reptiles – Terrestrial Adaptations Lungs for respiration Double circulation of blood through heart to increase oxygen to cells Partial separation in ventricle to separate oxygenated & deoxygenated blood Water conserved as nitrogen wastes excreted in dry, paste like form of uric acid crystals

20. Reproduction Advance Amniotic Egg Protective membranes & porous shell around embro Shell leathery & waterproof Internal fertalization before shell is formed

21. Snakes – ID features

22. Snakes

23. 100 – 40 vertebrae each with a pair of ribs & attached muscles for movement Move in 3 ways – lateral, rectilinear, & side winding Lateral undulations most common Sight and hearing is poor-locate prey with chemical scents using forked tongue May inject venom or poison – hemotoxin (rattle snake & water moccasin) or neurotoxin (copperhead) Constrictors wrap body around prey and squeeze to death Swallow prey whole – jaws unhinge from mouth to stretch

24. Snakes Venomous snakes-three fang types Rear-fanged snakes (boomslang) Front-fanged snakes (cobra) Hinge-fanged snakes (rattlesnake, water moccasin, copperhead) Often camouflaged for defense May have defense signals as expanding hood of cobra, rattles of rattlesnakes or hissing May be oviparous or ovoviviparous

25. Lizards – ID features

26. Lizards Four limbs Rely on speed, agility, & camouflage to catch prey Feed on insects & small worms Some, such as anole & chameleon, can change colors for protection May use active displays such as squirting blood, hissing, or inflating bodies Some can show autotomy (breaking off tail to escape predators) Two poisonous U.S. species include Gila Monster & Beaded Lizard

27. Turtles – ID Features

28. Turtles & Tortoises Aquatic, but lay eggs on land Body covered with shell composed of hard plates & tough, leathery skin Carapace or dorsal surface of shell fused with vertebrae & ribs Plastron is ventral shell surface Shape of shell modified for habitat Dome shaped shell helps to retract head & limbs in tortoises

29. Turtles Tortoise (dome-shape) Marine turtle (flippers) Spotted turtle- Water dwelling Streamline for movement

30. Crocodiles

31. Crocodiles & Alligators Alligator Crocodile

32. Crocodiles & Alligators Carnivorous (wait for prey to come near & then aggressively attack) Eyes located on top of head so they can see when submerged Nostrils on top of snout to breathe in water Valve in back of mouth prevents water from entering airway when feeding underwater No parental care of young in most species except Nile crocodile that carry young in their jaws & guards nest Crocodiles are tropical or subtropical, usually nocturnal

33. Ecology Impacts Importance of ectothermy Economic value Bio-indicators Functional role in ecosystems Longevity of some species – 50 yrs Status and conservation Habitat destruction

34. Decline of Amphibians Their highly permeable skin is more immediately sensitive to changes in the environment, including changes to freshwater and air quality Air and water pollution Habitat are being destroyed for human development Consumer demand

35. Decline in Reptiles, Turtles, Crocs Habitat loss & degradation Invasive Species Environmental Pollution Unsustainable use Global climate change Life history – some do not reproduce until later in life – some turtles 18 yrs. Top of food pyramid – indicators of environmental health.