Exam 3 Flashcards
(23 cards)
Cryptodira
Lineage of turtles that retract their head straight back into their shell by bending the neck in a vertical s-shaped curve
Pleurodira
Lineage of turtles that retract their head into their shell by bending the neck horizontally
Trochlear process
A bony process that acts as a pulley to guide the jaw adductor muscles
Carapace
Dorsal part of the turtle shell made up of dermal bone with keratinous pattern of horny scutes
Plastron
Ventral part of the turtle shell, made mostly of dermal bone with horny scutes
Horny scutes
Keratinous plates that cover the carapace and plastron bones of a turtle’s shell
Thermal inertia
Larger objects will change temperature much slower, so some sea turtles will be able to dive deeper to forage before they have to bask again
Temperature dependent sex determination
The temperature of the nest will determine the sex of the turtles. Lower temperatures will lead to males, while higher temperatures will lead to females
Sphenodon
Lineage of lepidosauria with Tuatara. Only 2 extant species found in New Zealand. Most diverse during the Mesozoic period
Autotomy
When a lepidosaur can control where the tail is broken off. The tail grows back as cartilaginous rod rather than vertebrae
Pseudautotomy
Cannot control where the tail is broken off, but weak points along the breakage planes allow the tail to break off with enough force
Hemipenes
Paired copulatory organs that swell and come out of squamata. Only one is used during copulation
Acrodont dentition
Teeth that are fused to the jaw line in Tuatara, where they sit on the jaw line and are never replaced. Arranged to make sheers (2 rows on top and 1 on the bottom)
Gekkota
Group within squamata that have toepads that adhere to surfaces, large eyes, vocalize and have TSD
Scincoidea
Skinks that are smooth, shiny, and have cycloid scales. They are extremely diverse and have limb reduction of loss
Lacertoidea
Include Telidae and Amphisbaenia. Amphisbaenia are fossorial, moving forward and back. They can be legless or bipes, and have nippers
Anguimorpha
Part of the Toxicofera, which are very venomous (possessing genes that produce toxic proteins), and have autonomous tails
Iguania
Very diverse. Includes iguanas and spiny lizards. They inhabit diverse habitats and can squirt blood from their eyes that has a bad taste
Serpentes
The most successful lineage without limbs. They have highly kinetic skulls, elongated bodies (pre-cloacal vertebrae), a reduced diameter and loss of/reduced limbs
Squamosal
Squamous portion of the temporal bone
Postorbital
Refers to behind the eye
Temporal bar
Bone in lizards that becomes incorporated into the orbit
Inertial feeding
Where lizards swallow their prey whole by tossing it back and down their throat
