Amniota, Non-Avian Reptilia Flashcards
(62 cards)
1
Q
Amniota origin
A
- originated from amphibian ancestors in the late Paleozoic
2
Q
Amniotic egg
A
- develops 4 membranes and a heavy shell–> survival of all stages in dry environments
- kind of soft eggs, but resistant to losing water
3
Q
amnion
A
- membrane of amniotic egg
- encloses the embryo providing desication resistance, fluid medium, shock protection
- closest to embryo–> keeps embryo moist
4
Q
Yolk sac
A
- membrane of amniotic egg
- encloses yolk and is vascularized–> mobilization of yolk for embryo
- blood soaks up nutrients and provides it to embryo
5
Q
allantois
A
- membrane of amniotic egg
- stores wastes of embryo, and is vascularized–> respiration in conjunction with chorion
- respiratory gas exchange with environment
6
Q
chorion
A
- membrane of amniotic egg
- surrounds embryo and extra-embryonic structures: vascularization–> respiration
7
Q
amniote characteristics
A
- amniotic egg and internal fertilization and no larval stage
- tough skin resistant to dessication and damage (consists of keratin and lipids)
- rib ventilation
- more complete separation of pulmonary and body circulation
- larger brain
- new modes of N excretion
8
Q
rib ventilation
A
- done by negative pressure (suction, not positive pressure) via an alveolar lung
9
Q
benefit of more complete separation of pulmonary and body circulation
A
- higher pressure, more efficient system
10
Q
larger brain benefit
A
- differentiation of the cerebrum and cerebellum
11
Q
benefits of new modes of N excretion
A
- ammonia too toxic, so use urea or uric acid though more costly to synthesize and secrete
12
Q
urea
A
- freely soluble
- non-toxic
- a lot of nitrogen content
13
Q
uric acid
A
- water insoluble
- non toxic
- purine
- used by birds, lizards in desert
- excrete almost solid urine to save water
14
Q
typical amniote skin
A
- overlapping, keratinized scales in epidermis
- bony osteoderms in the dermis
15
Q
amniote lungs
A
- lungs have alveoli–> more surface area
- more efficient gas exchange surface between air spaces and blood
16
Q
amniote circulation
A
- atria are completely separated and ventricle is partitioned into 3 cavities
- oxygenated blood from pulmonary veins–> left atrium–> cavum anteriosum–> left and right systemic arch
- deoxygenated blood from sinus venosus–> right atrium–> cavum venosum–> right and left pulmonary arteries
17
Q
diapsid skull
A
- orbit, dorsal temporal opening, lateral temporal opening
- turtle lost diapsid openings
18
Q
Extant reptilia
A
- Tuataras, Lizards, Snakes, Turtles, Crocodilians, Birds
19
Q
order testudines (chelonia)
A
- turtles
- tough keratinized dorsal carapace and ventral plastron (great protection, but low mobility)
- head, tail, and limbs can usually be at least partially withdrawn
- vertebrae and ribs fused to carapace
- use abdominal and pectoral girdle muscles to expand chest cavity for suction respiration
- oviparous (all dig holes and lay eggs on land)
- sex determination in many species is environmental (temperature) not genetic
20
Q
snapping turtle
A
- largest turtle around here
- spend most of time in water, but emerge on land to forage or lay eggs
- prey on aquatic or terrestrial animals (invertebrates, amphibians, ducklings)
21
Q
Eastern Painted turtle
A
- common, abundant turtle around here
- feed largely on invertebrates and vegetation
- emerge onto shore, logs, or rocks to bask in the sun, usually in the morning
22
Q
Eastern box turtle
A
- hinges on plastron (bottom shell) can enclose head and limbs completely
23
Q
Galapagos Tortoises
A
- large tortoises characteristic of drier habitats
- particularly on isolated islands, where get very large and long-lived(>100 years)
- speciate on archipelagos (Galapagos)–> can look at carapace and determine which island they came from
- not mobile between islands(strictly terrestrial)
- vulnerable to human predation
- some Galapagos tortoises are up to 200 years old
- Lonesome George was 100+ years old when he dies a few years ago–> he was the last of the Pinto Island species
24
Q
Sea turtle
A
- 7 species, most ranging worldwide
- air breathers but can submerge for long period (hours)
- females excavate burrows above high tide line on beaches (mostly tropical) to deposit eggs
- eggs hatch after several months, immediately head for water
- after many years wandering oceans, adults return to natal beaches to mate and lay eggs
- eggs and baby turtles are very susceptible to predators
- air breathers–> evolved to be able to hold breath for a long time
- when emerge from egg, they look for light reflection off ocean (if they are near a lot of artificial lights, they can go in wrong direction
25
major sea turtle "arrival"
aribada
- come ashore in masses because there are only select beaches that they will come to--> done when high tide is highest based on phases of moon because they need to lay eggs higher than hghest level of water
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Leatherback sea turtle
- largest species= up to 8 ft long, 1000+ lbs
- often feed on jellyfish 1000s of feet down
27
threats to sea turtles
- harvesting of eggs by humans and many wild predators
- predation by birds as hatchlings run to the ocean
- predation of turtles, especially young ones, in the ocean
- commercial fishing in nets and long-lines as "bycatch"= drown before nets/lines hauled in
- turtle soup as "delicacy"
28
remedies for sea turtle threats
- all sea turtles protected in US and internationally
- favorite beaches protected as parks and patrolled
- harvesting and hatching eggs in captivity
- laws mandating protections from netting and long-lining
- scientific study of major threats
29
Turtle Excluder Device
- shrimp industry wsa getting a lot of sea turtle in their traps
- turtle excluder= sieve that directs sea turtle out of the net, shrimp go through and get stuck in net
30
Order Squamata
lizards and snakes
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suborder lacertilia
- lizards
- elongate body, 4 limbs, though some secondarily limbless
- most prey on arthropods, though some larger species prey on small tetrapods
- most are oviparous, though some viviparous or ovoviviparous
- since ectothermic, most prevalent in subtropics and tropics
- bask to increase body temps--> faster for prey pursuit and escape from predators
- often adjust to close to constant temperature by moving into and out of the sun or adjusting their orientation to the sun
32
anoles
- abundant and speciose
- males display to females and males with a colorful "dewlap"
33
Iguana iguana
- large, up to 3 feet long
- often bask in trees (for protection)
- cultivated as potential human food in tropics
34
"Jesus Christ Lizards"
- live near water, so can escape predators by running across water
- light enough so that surface tension of water momentarily resists penetration
- jagged crests to make themselves bigger
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Chameleons
- old world tropics
- very slow movers
- whole eye socket rotates for good peripheral vision
- ability to change color from green to brown within minutes
- extraordinarily extendable tongue (often used to target arthropod prey)
36
Geckos
- high ability to attach to surfaces
- to smooth surfaces with fine setae on lamellae via electrostatic forces, to rough surfaces with small claws
- nocturnal unlike most lizards
- attracted to lights that have attracted insects
- large eyes but no eyelids
- membrane ("brille") that cleans eyes by moving over surface
- popular in apartments infested with cockroaches as they come out at night and harvest bugs
- vocalize (some "bark")
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Gila monster
- southwestern US
- only poisonous lizard
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glass/worm lizard
- many species have adapted to fossorial life
- burrow in ground--> legless
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Komodo dragon
- largest terrestrial lizard-like reptile
- belongs in "monitor lizard" group (more closely related to snakes)
- occurs on a few islands in Indonesia-- endangered with some protection in the Komodo National Park
40
suborder serpentes
- snakes
- legless though some boas and pythons have visible remnants of legs (tiny)
- highly "kinetic" skull= can reshape jaw bones and disarticulate lower jaws
- have special air passage at top of their mouth that allows them to breathe
- all snakes predatory, some by simple grabbing, many by constricting and asphyxiating prey, many with the help of poisonous fangs
- some have rear fangs that subdue prey as they swallow them
- tongue can be protruded, then when withdrawn, it passes over an olfactory organ in the roof of the mouth
- shed skin periodically to allow growth
41
Locomotory modes in snakes
- lateral undulation
- concertina motion
- rectilinear motion
- sidewinder motion
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lateral undulation
- snake locomotion
- most used
- waves of lateral bending are propagated along the body from head to tail
- when a bend contacts a surface object, it exerts force against it and deforms locally around it
- the snakes body grips the object and uses it to push against, causing its body to travel in the opposite direction
43
concertina motion
- snake locomotion
- pass coils down the body and extend the top
- slow compared to other methods
- each point on snakes body goes through alternating cycles of static contact and movement
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rectilinear motion
- snake locomotion
- belly scales are alternately lifted slightly from the ground and pulled forward, then pulled downward and backward--> snake moves forward
- slow scoot forward in a straight line
45
Sidewinder motion
- snake locomotion
- allows snakes to travel over loose, unstable surfaces like sand
- throws body into J shaped curves
- lift parts of body so doesn't touch sand (only small portion of body is in contact with ground at a given time)
- anchors section of body while lifting and throwing the remaining portion forward and to the side
- makes track of angled parallel lines
- minimizes pressure exerted on sand= no sinking/collapse of substrate
46
Eastern Garter Snake
- most commonly seen as it is diurnal
- ovoviviparous
- overwinter underground away from frost
- come out and sun themselves in the morning
47
Northern water snake
- forage by swimming in water to catch amphibians
- often bask/mate in air
48
Eastern Coral snake
- southern US
- highly toxic via neurotoxins
- classic warning coloration
- mimicked by many non-venomous species
49
King Snake
- mimic of Eastern coral snake
- nonvenomous
- constricts prey
50
sea snake
- completely pelagic (open sea)
- very highly venomous (because prey can escape easily)
- most species are ovoviviparous
- Indian and South Pacific Oceans
51
venomous pit vipers
- a new world family of rattlesnakes and others that have a cephalic infrared sensory pit organ that detects heat
- venom glands on the lateral posterior sides of the head--> triangular head
- typically sit and wait for prey to come to them, bite them, fangs extend, wait for prey to die from venom, snake follows trail from prey and engulfs it
- venom comes out of fangs (fangs are hollow)
- camouflage ("sit and wait" predators)
52
rattlesnake venom harvesting
used to manufacture anti-venins
53
strategy for protection if not poisonous
- Hognose snake--> mimics pattern of vipers and plays dead when threatened
54
Order Sphenodonta
- tuatara
- evolutionary relict species, now found only in New Zealand
- monospecific order
- restricted to several small islands off the New Zealand main islands due to the impact of exotic invasive species (rats, cats, dogs, goats)
- slow to mature and has a low fecundity= hard to recover from decimation
- very long-lived for a small animal (100+ years)
- has a functional parietal (third) eye that records light/dark only--> evolved in other tetrapods into the pineal gland
55
order crocodilia
- crocodiles, alligators, caimans, gharials
- ancient lineage unchanged in 200 mya--> the lineage that gave rise to sauropods and birds
- inhabit rivers, estuaries, and wetlands around the tropics and subtropics worldwide
- 2 American species: American Alligatos, American Crocodile
- very strong jaw closure
- strong parental care
- harvested for their skin to make things like handbags
- build nests
56
American alligator
widespread in fresh waters of southern US
- once threatened but fast recovery (high fecundity)
57
American Crocodile
- in US only along southwestern Florida coast, but widespread further south
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benefit of strong jaw closure of crocodilia
- attack large prey in water and drown them
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parental care of crocodilia
- incubate eggs and care for young for a few years
60
Sauropod
- dinosaur
- tall with long neck
- not predatory
- herbivorous
- other dinosaurs were all predatory
61
Pterosaur
- moved by flapping their wings
62
pleiosaurs
- aquatic dinosaurs
