If you see an injured turtle in the wild please call the Wildlife Clinic at the CNC at x or find your local rehabilitator at Animal Help Now. They collect energy and vitamins from the sun; painting the shell blocks that. What type of program are you interested in booking? On-Site Field Study - visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center with your group and participate in a program lead by one of our Naturalists.
Outreach Program - Our Naturalists will travel to your location to conduct an environmental education program Virtual Program - meet with a CNC Naturalist via an online platform. First Last. Virtual Field Study — minute virtual program including pre- and post-activities, live meeting and program with Naturalist, and encounter with CNC animal. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Plan An Event. These are the 25 species of Crocodilia, 2 species of Sphenodontia, approximately 9, Squamata species, and the Testudines, with about species. A reptile is any amniote a tetrapod whose egg has an additional membrane, originally to allow them to lay eggs on land that is neither a mammal nor a bird. Unlike mammals, birds, and certain extinct reptiles, living reptiles have scales or scutes rather than fur or feathers and are cold-blooded.
Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Crocodilians are large, solidly built lizard-like reptiles with long flattened snouts and laterally-compressed tails, and eyes, ears, and nostrils at the top of the head.
Their skin is thick and covered in non-overlapping scales. They have conical, peg-like teeth and a powerful bite.
As with birds, they have a four-chambered heart and a unidirectional system of air flow around the lungs; however, in contrast to birds, they are ectotherms, as are all other reptiles. They are found in freshwater, saltwater, and brackish habitats, such as rivers and lakes; they spend most of their time in water. Some species are able to move on land due to their semi-erect posture. Crocodilians : Crocodilians, such as this Siamese crocodile Crocodylus siamensis , have large flattened snouts and thick skin.
Tuataras measure up to 80 centimeters and weigh about 1 kilogram. Although quite lizard-like in gross appearance, several unique features of the skull and jaws clearly define them and distinguish the group from the squamates. Their dentition, in which two rows of teeth in the upper jaw overlap one row on the lower jaw, is unique among living species.
Tuatara : Tuataras may resemble a lizard but belongs to a distinct lineage, the Sphenodontidae family. They are most closely-related to tuataras; both groups evolved from a lepidosaurian ancestor. Squamata is the largest extant clade of reptiles. Most lizards differ from snakes by having four limbs, although these have been variously lost or significantly reduced in at least 60 lineages.
Snakes lack eyelids and external ears, which are present in lizards. Lizard species range in size from chameleons and geckos, which are a few centimeters in length, to the Komodo dragon, which is about 3 meters in length. Most lizards are carnivorous, but some large species, such as iguanas, are herbivores. Squamata : The Squamata, which includes lizards and snakes, are the largest group of reptiles.
The garter snake belongs to the genus Thamnophis, the most widely-distributed reptile genus in North America. Snakes are thought to have descended from either burrowing lizards or aquatic lizards over million years ago. Snakes comprise about 3, species and range in size from 10 centimeter-long thread snakes to 10 meter-long pythons and anacondas.
All snakes are carnivorous, eating small animals, birds, eggs, fish, and insects. Although variations exist, most snakes have a skull that is very flexible, involving eight rotational joints. They also differ from other squamates by having mandibles lower jaws without either bony or ligamentous attachment anteriorly.
Having this connection via skin and muscle allows for great expansion of the gape and independent motion of the two sides; both advantages in swallowing big items.
Turtles are characterized by a bony or cartilaginous shell. The shell consists of the ventral surface called the plastron and the dorsal surface called the carapace, which develops from the ribs.
The plastron is made of scutes or plates; the scutes can be used to differentiate species of turtles. The two clades of turtles are most easily recognized by how they retract their necks.
The dominant group, which includes all North American species, retracts its neck in a vertical S-curve. Turtles in the less speciose clade retract the neck with a horizontal curve.
Testudines : Testudines include all shelled reptiles, such as the African spurred tortoise Geochelone sulcata that lives at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert. It is the third-largest tortoise in the world. Turtles arose approximately million years ago, predating crocodiles, lizards, and snakes.
Similar to other reptiles, turtles are ectotherms. They lay eggs on land, although many species live in or near water. None exhibit parental care. Turtles range in size from the speckled padloper tortoise at 8 centimeters 3. Privacy Policy. Skip to main content. Search for:. Characteristics of Amniotes The distinguishing characteristic of amniotes, a shelled egg with an amniotic membrane, allowed them to venture onto land.
Learning Objectives Discuss the evolution of amniotes. Key Takeaways Key Points The amniotes include reptiles, birds, and mammals; shared characteristics between this group include a shelled egg protected by amniotic membranes, waterproof skin, and rib ventilation of the lungs.
In amniotes, the shell of the egg provides protection for the developing embryo and allows water retention while still being permeable to gas exchange. Amniotic eggs contain albumin, which provides the embryo with water and protein, and an egg yolk that supplies the embryo with energy. The chorion, amnion, and allantois are key membranes found only in amniotic eggs. The amnion protects the embryo from mechanical shock and supports hydration, while the allantois stores nitrogenous wastes and facilitates respiration.
Evolution of Amniotes Modern amniotes, which includes mammals, reptiles, and birds, evolved from an amphibian ancestor approximately million years ago. Learning Objectives Outline the evolution of amniotes.
Key Takeaways Key Points Synapsids include all mammals and therapsids, mammal-like reptiles, from which mammals evolved. Sauropsids, which are divided into the anapsids and diapsids, include reptiles and birds. The diapsids are divided into lepidosaurs modern lizards, snakes, and tuataras and archosaurs modern crocodiles and alligators, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs. Skull structure and number of temporal fenestrae are the key differences between the synapsids, anapsids, and diapsids; anapsids have no temporal fenestrae, synapsids have one, and diapsids have two.
They often have a prehensile tail for grasping thin branches. Those that live in a burrow tend to have smaller legs, or none at all, to help them move underground more easily. Marine iguanas spend much of their lives underwater, although they come to shore to rest on rocks or a sandy beach. Desert dwellers, like the ground gecko, usually sleep during the day underneath the warm sand and then come out when the sun has gone down.
Different lizard species eat different types of food. Some are predators, eating mammals, birds, and other reptiles. Others are mainly vegetarian, eating leaves, fruits, and flowers.
Two are venomous: the Gila monster and the Mexican beaded lizard. Their venom comes from saliva glands in the jaw, and the lizards chew it into the victim. Caiman lizards are adept at eating snails and other mollusks. Upon seizing a snail, the lizard raises its head and relaxes its grip, causing the snail to roll to the back of its mouth. It then bites down with flattened, molar-like teeth and cracks the shell. By alternating bites and rotating the snail with the tongue, the lizard completely removes the shell and pushes the pieces out of the mouth.
Most lizards are insect eaters, grabbing crickets, flies, grasshoppers, and more with long, sticky tongues or quick bites. Male lizards use a variety of methods to attract a female's attention. They bob their head vigorously or display their brightest colors or best features. The green anole lizard inflates a rust-colored throat sack, called a dewlap, to win over the lady of his choice, sometimes keeping up this display for hours.
Red-headed agamas are African lizards with brown skin. But when the male needs to make sure others see him, his head turns fiery red and his body and tail change to a bright, shiny blue. Other males may fight with each other until the weaker one gives up. Of course, there are exceptions to soft eggs and lack of care in the lizard world! The tokay gecko lays soft eggs that harden in the dry air and stick to the surface on which they were laid.
The sandstone gecko lays eggs in rocky crevices, so these eggs have a tough cover. The Nile monitor lizard lays her eggs in termite mounds. The heat from the termites in the mound helps incubate the eggs.
Some skink mothers return to the nest to warm their eggs, and some female skinks give birth to live young. No matter what the circumstances of their start in life, baby lizards look like tiny versions of their parents. Around the world, many lizard species are threatened by invasive species, habitat loss, and poaching for the international exotic pet trade. Griffin Reptile Conservation Center, we have succeeded in breeding the most critically endangered iguanas in the world, the Caribbean rock iguanas.
We have been involved with Caribbean iguana conservation and recovery programs for almost two decades, establishing breeding facilities for five of the most endangered species on their respective home islands. To date, more than Caribbean iguanas have been raised in these facilities and reintroduced. We have learned much about Fijian iguanas and have been successful in breeding an assurance population in managed care—the most successful breeding colony outside Fiji—with more than hatchlings born here since
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