LIZARDS, SNAKES, TURTLES, CROCODILIANS, and BIRDS REPTILES “to creep” In the class REPTILIA… LIZARDS, SNAKES, TURTLES, CROCODILIANS, and BIRDS

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

Have been around for over 300 million years After the decline of amphibians, reptiles dominated the world for about 200 million years in the time of the Dinosaurs (the most diverse group of reptiles that are now extinct) Differences between some Dinosaurs and modern reptiles: Dinosaurs may have been endothermic Dinosaurs may have exhibited parental care Dinosaurs were much bigger (and some were significantly slower moving) Now, there are about 6,500 reptile species around the world and on every continent except Antarctica

WHAT MAKES REPTILES REPTILES?

VERTEBRATES (have spines) AIR-BREATHING COLD-BLOODED or ECTOTHERMIC (absorb external heat/ do not generate their own heat through metabolism) AMNIOTES (lay an amniotic egg* which is a shell carrying an embryo in a fluid-filled sac) LIVE ON LAND COVERED IN SCALES * This characteristic of reptiles helped their ancestors make the transition from water to land because the “self-contained pond” of the egg which can be lane on land allows the reptile to carry out its life cycle completely on dry land.

SOME ADAPTATIONS…

Regulate their body temperature by seeking or avoiding the sun’s heat (ectothermic)

Skin is covered in waterproof scales containing the protein keratin which lets no water escape which keeps their bodies from drying out (Eggs are also encased by a waterproof shell)

Color and scale pattern helps camouflage or alert predators to a reptile’s poisonous nature (mostly snakes)

SNAKES Limbless (ancestors adapted to a burrowing lifestyle) Venom helps protect them or immobilize and kill pray

CROCODILIANS (crocodiles and alligators) Can live in the water and breath with upturned nostrils

TURTLES (have changed little overtime) - Hard-backed, protective shells

SOME SPECIFICS…

The estuarine crocodile (over 7 m (23 ft) long) Most massive reptile: The estuarine crocodile (over 7 m (23 ft) long)

the British Virgin Islands gecko (only 18 mm = 7/10 inches long) Smallest Reptile: the British Virgin Islands gecko (only 18 mm = 7/10 inches long)

the spiny-tailed iguana (tracked at 34.9 km/h = 21 mph) Fastest Reptile: the spiny-tailed iguana (tracked at 34.9 km/h = 21 mph)

the anaconda of South America Biggest snake: the anaconda of South America

the leatherback turtle (up to 2.5 m) Biggest Turtle: the leatherback turtle (up to 2.5 m)

the Komodo dragon (up to 3 m long) Biggest Lizard: the Komodo dragon (up to 3 m long)

reticulated Python (over 10 m long) Longest snake: reticulated Python (over 10 m long)

the poisonous black mamba Fastest-moving snake: the poisonous black mamba

the taipan (from Australia), black mamba, and krait Most poisonous land snakes: the taipan (from Australia), black mamba, and krait

the Gila monster, the beaded lizard Only poisonous Lizard: the Gila monster, the beaded lizard

Weirdest ability: horned lizards can squirt a thin spray of blood from their eyes up to of 3 feet (0.9 meter) away

HERPETOLOGY = the study of reptiles

Works Cited http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/reptiles/printouts.shtml http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles.html http://science.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Science/Images/Content/triassic-dinosaurs-22937967-jupiter-lw.jpg http://www.topnews.in/files/dinosaur.jpg http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg09_NCWildStore/photo_competition/2007/Reptiles-&-Amphibians-1st-place.jpg http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lynhardyphoto.com/reptiles_iguanalounging.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lynhardyphoto.com/page_reptiles.html&usg http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2163/2239435768_238cc1ff6b.jpg?v=0 http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/023034_side-blotched_lizard.jpg http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/119091scales1.jpg http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/iguana_scales.jpg http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1002/50215713.JPG http://i1.treknature.com/photos/10387/viper-web--frm-thin-grn-blk.jpg http://www.wildlife.pro/snake/images/venomous_snake.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2795915953_515983d8b7.jpg?v=0 http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/images/photos/enp/alligatorAnhingTrail-BMx.jpg http://www.everglades.com/welcom9.jpg

Works Cited cont. http://z.about.com/d/gonyc/1/0/8/R/turtles.jpg http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/images/060831-turtles-israel_big.jpg http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/567Centrata_Carapace.jpg http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2008/06/04/4213gecko1.jpg http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1612/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1612R-17420.jpg http://www.ngsprints.co.uk/images/M/957121.jpg http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2008/11/04/436003_3.jpg http://www.oregonreptileman.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/anaconda.jpg http://spoutingoff.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/leatherback-underwater.jpg http://www.coral.org/files/images/LeatherbackTurtles.jpg http://static.guim.co.uk/Environment/gallery/2007/apr/12/climatechangeenvironment.conservationandendangeredspecies/komodocrop-7899.jpg http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Jim_Gaspar_Jampa08.jpg http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/australiazoo/gallery/auszoo40_main.jpg http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/288455441_173cbd0be2.jpg?v=0 http://a.abcnews.com/images/Travel/cb_Black_Mamba_Snake_080325_mn.jpg http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/desert-survival-7.jpg http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/horned_lizard/images/03b_lrg_horned_lizard_full.jpg