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69 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
What's the difference between scutes and scales? |
scales - overlap scutes - don't overlap |
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What are osteoderms? |
plates of bone found under the skin of most reptiles |
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What are the 2 kinds of keratin and where are they found (reptiles/amphibians?)? |
1) alpha-keratin = a-helix; in amphibians/mammals. 2) Beta-keratin = b-sheet, in reptiles |
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Reptile skin is divided into dermis and epidermis. What are the 3 important layers of the epidermis from inside to outside? |
1) Stratum germinativum = bottom, mitotic layer. 2) mesos layer = contains lipids/waterproofs the reptiles. 3) stratum corneum = dead keratinized tissue that makes up the scales. |
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How do turtles end up with "growth rings"? |
In some turtles, it doesn't shed the scute but adds new ones underneath, leading to visible growth rings. |
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Reptiles have Scale Organs. What are these? |
Microscopic pits with mechanoreceptors/hair cells. look like pores on the skin (especially around face) |
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What is Ecdysis? |
Describes how squamates (lizards/snakes) shed= they shed skin almost all at the same time and the new layer pushes off the old layer. |
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Reptiles have Sclerical Ossicles. What are these? |
Bony plates that surround the eye (also in birds). |
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Reptiles have rods and cones just like us. What's special about the cones in reptiles? |
Reptiles have lipid droplets on top of the cones that act as mini lens for each cone to selectively filter out certain wavelengths of light. |
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What are 3 differences between the eyes of snakes and lizards? |
a) snakes don't have eyelids
b) snakes don't have ciliary muscles; they change the shape of the lens by squeezing the lens out of the iris. c) snakes don't have sclerical ossicles. |
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All snakes have a Spectacle. What is this? |
a transparent eyelid over the eyes that help focus light on the retina. |
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Lots of distantly-related snakes (boas, pythons and pit vipers) have infrared-sending pit organs on the face. What nerve do these pits hook up with and what sense do they affect? |
Hook up to the Trigeminal nerve (CN5) and overlay on the vision. |
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Tuataras belong to what genus? |
Sphenodon. |
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Tuataras are the last of their kind and are known as a ____________ species. |
relict. |
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What's the difference in cloaca between lizards and tuataras? |
Tuataras have a transverse cloaca. |
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Squamate males have a unique sex organ called the ____________. They have a unique groove for delivering sperm called the ________ ___________. |
a) hemipenes. b) sulcus spermaticus. |
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What are the 2 kinds of squamate tooth arrangement? (What kind of teeth do crocadylians have?) |
1) Acrodont = attached to the top of the jaw 2) pleurodont = attached to groove/lingual side on inside of jaw. (3) Crocadylians have thecodont teeth --they're in sockets like ours) |
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Some squamates reproduce by parthogenesis. What is this? |
They don't need a male to mate; they auto-fertilize eggs. |
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a) What are the 3 different ways that sex-determination can happen in lizards AND turtles? b) What is the only method of sex-determination found in snakes? c) What is the only method of sex-determination found in crocadylians and tuataras? |
a) XY chromosome, ZY chromosomes, and temp-dependent sex determination. b) ZW chromosomes c) temperature-dependent determination |
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Some lizards can lose their tails adaptively to escape predators in a process known as ______________. |
autotomy |
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What are the 2 types of autotomy that lizards can perform? |
1) intravertebral = vertebrae close to tail have built-in breaking points. Muscles can consciously break tail. Tail grows back with cartilage rod. 2) Intervertebral = tail breaks between vertebrae and doesn't grow back. |
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What kind of digits are the ancestral condition in tetrapods? What commonly happens in squamates? |
Pentadactyly. Being limbless/having reduced limbs has evoled 25 times in squamates. |
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Some squamates produce venom. Where did this venom evolve from? |
Evolved from various proteins that do other things in other areas of the body. |
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What family of lizards is the sister taxa to all other squamates? What characterizes them? |
the blind skinks. (Dibamidae) -vestigial eyes covered by scales -males have small flaplike hindlimbs |
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What are the 6 major orders of lizards? |
1) Gekkota 2) Scincomorpha 3) Lacertoidea 4) Anguimorpha 5) Acrodonta (within Iguania clade) 6) Pleurodonta (within Iguania clade) |
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What main things characterize the clade Gekkota? |
-many species have toepads w/ lots of microscopic surface area. -autotomic tails -usually oviparous |
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What are the 4 main families of lizards found in Gekkota? |
1) Pacific geckos 2) flap-footed lizards 3) Leaf-toed geckos 4) Spectacled geckos |
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What 4 unique things about Pacific Geckos? |
1) only gecko in New Zealand 2) only group with viviparous species 3) Prehensile "sticky" tail with same structure as toe pads 4) can and will spray sticky fluid from tail. |
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What is the unique thing about Flap-Footed lizards? |
1) Both sexes have tiny flap-footed hindlimbs near the cloaca. |
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What is unique about Leaf-Tailed Geckos? |
They have leaf-like scales on the toes. |
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What is unique about Spectacled Geckos? |
the main geckos; 1/10 of species here lay eggs in communal nests. |
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What are the 3 main aspects of morphology common to the lizard clade Scincomorpha? |
1) compact, bullet-shaped head 2) smooth, shiny scales underlaid by osteoderms in multiple parts. 3) limb reduction is common |
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What are the 3 main families found within the lizard clade Lacertoidea? |
1) whiptails 2) wall lizards 3) Legless lizards |
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What characterizes the lizard family Whiptail lizards? |
Whiptail lizards -diurnal -oviparous -some nest communally |
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What characterizes the lizard family Wall Lizards? |
-well-developed limbs -rock-dwelling -ONLY reptile group that lives above the arctic circle. |
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What is interesting about the frontal bone of legless lizards? |
It surrounds the entire brain |
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What is interesting about the skin of legless lizards? |
It moves independently of the trunk |
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What is interesting about the pectoral girdle and pelvic ilium of legless lizards? |
Pectoral girdle is absent in most legless lizards; however, all retain the pelvic ilium |
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What is interesting about the lungs of legless lizards? |
The RIGHT lung is reduced, which is unusual, since most other squamates reduced lungs have reduced left lungs. |
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Within the Legless Lizards, what are 2 interesting facts about the Mole-Limbed Worm Lizard family (Bipedidae)? |
1) They have powerful front legs used for burrowing (but not locomotion) 2) All 5 digits on their hands are actually thumbs. |
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What is the clade Toxicofera known for? What does it include? |
It's the clade of squamates that includes all venomous lizards and snakes. |
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What are the 2 main (venomous) families within Toxicofera/Order Anguimorpha? |
1) Helodermatidae (Gila Monsters) 2) Varanidae (Monitors and Goannas) |
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Clade Iguania is split into the orders Acrodonta and Pleurodonta. What are the 3 main families in Pleurodonta? |
Acrodonta: 1) Chameleons 2) Agamidae (dragons) Pleurodonta: 1) Lava lizards 2) Iguanidae (iguanas) 3) Dactyloidae (anoles) |
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Chameleons have zygodactylous feet. What does this mean? |
Their adjacent digits are fused together. |
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What is 1 notable fact about the Lava Lizards family? |
Males practice resource-based polygyny (they defend some resource and attract females). |
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What is one interesting fact about Iguanas? |
They have a partitioned colon for fermenting plant materials (since they're herbivores). |
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Snakes have what kind of sex determination? |
genetic |
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What kind of teeth do snakes have? |
pleurodont (attached to the lingual side of jaw) |
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What are the 4 kinds of dentition in snakes? |
1) Aglyph = little variation in size/shape of teeth. Found in nonvenomous snakes. 2) Opisthoglyph = "rear-fanged" 3) Preteroglyph = 1 large pair of fangs on maxilla w/ a few small teeth behind it. 4) Solenoglyph = extremely reduced maxilla that houses 1 set of huge fangs. |
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Snakes are split into 2 main orders: what are they? |
1) Scolecophidia (blindsnakes) 2) Alethinophidia (everyone else) |
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What are 3 facts about blindsnakes? |
1) vestigial eyes 2) hindlimb remnants 3) specialized to eat ants and termites. |
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Which clade within Alethinophidia contains the poisnonous snakes? |
Colubroidea |
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What are the main families of snakes within Alethinophidia that are NOT in Colubroidea? |
1) Dwarf Boas 2) Shield-tailed snakes 3) Split-Jawed snakes 4)Boas 5) Pythons |
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What's one interesting fact about the Dwarf Boas family? |
Can hemorrhage from eyes and mouth as a defense mechanism. |
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What's interesting about the Split-Jaw snakes? |
Maxilla is jointed and divided into 2; no other snake or vertebrate has this. |
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What are the 3 main differences between boas and pythons? |
1) Boas are viviparous, pythons are oviparous. 2) Pythons have their infrared sensors in pits, unlike boas. 3) Boas contain the heaviest living snake (green anaconda); pythons contain the longest living snake (reticulated python) |
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What's one thing unique to pythons' metabolism? |
They can downregulate their metabolism when not feeding to the point of shrinking vital organs. |
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What is the sister taxa to Colubroidea? What's interesting about them? |
File Snakes -aquatic -sublingual salt glands to excrete salt. |
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What are the 3 main families in Colubroidea? Which has the rear-fanged snakes? |
1) Lamprophiidae (vipers) 2) Elapidae (cobras/sea snakes) 3) Colubridae -- rear-fanged |
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What's the difference between true vipers and pit vipers? |
True vipers don't have pits |
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What kind of viper (and is it true or a pit viper) has the longest fangs of any snake? |
The Gaboon viper |
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What kind of dentition do crocadylians have? |
Thecodont (teeth are in sockets) |
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Crocadylians have a Secondary Palate. What is this? |
Space between the bottom of the skull and the roof of the mouth that allows air to pass from the nose into the lungs without going through the mouth. |
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What is the name of the flap that crocs use to cover their trachea? |
palatovalve |
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What family of crocadylians are the only ones to be found in temparate environments that freeze? |
Alligators/caimans |
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True or false: the pelvic and pectoral girdles in turtles are found inside the ribcage, unlike everyone else. |
TRUE |
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What are the 2 major clades of turtles and what's the difference? |
1) Pleurodira = side-necked turtles 2) Cryptodira = pull neck straight back into shell. |
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What is one example of a Pleurodira turtle? |
matamata |
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What are the 6 main families in the Cryptodira clade of turtles? |
1) Softshell turtles 2) box turtles 3) tortoises 4) snapping turtles 5) sea turtles 6) Leatherback sea turtles |