Chapter 18- Reptiles and Amphibians Flashcards
Animals whose body temperatures fluctuate with the temperature of their surroundings are referred to as:
Poikilotherms
The reptiles which bear their young alive are called __________________, which means to bring forth alive from eggs.
Ovoviviparous
What are elongated, four-legged reptiles with a tapered tail, that are the most numerous of the reptiles, and so e common example families would be iguanas, chameleons, geckos, and skinks?
Lizards
The majority of snakes move by _________________, where the snake bends into a series of curves as it keeps its body flat on the ground.
Lateral undulation
Many thick-bodied snakes, such as African puff adders and Asian pythons, use ____________________, when stalking prey. In thus method of movement, the snake alternately stretches and shortens segments of its body in order to creep forward in a straight line.
Rectilinear movement
Snakes often use __________________ to move across smooth surfaces or to climb through trees. The snake moves the front part of its body forward, coils it slightly to anchor it, and then pulls the back part forward. As the back part is pressed down, the front part moves forward again.
Concertina movement
Desert-dwelling snakes, such as the North American sidewinder and carpet viper and horned viper of Africa, use a _______________ to cross loose land. As the snake supports its body with its head, tail, and two or three other points of contact, it lifts the remainder of its body off the ground and moves it sideways. The snake then moves its head and tail in line with its body and repeats the sequence.
Sidewinding movement
What is the fastest know snake, that is a large, extremely venomous snake of Africa; estimates of its top speed over a short distance range from 7 to 20 miles per hour?
Black mamba
Unlike mammals and birds, reptiles are considered ________________ animals because they regulate their temperature by external factors, such as lying in the sun when their body temperature is too low.
Cold-blooded
The snake’s lower jaws are not attached directly to the skull but are attached to a separate ________________ which loosely attaches the skull to the lower jaw on each side. Thus cartilaginous bone is found in birds, amphibians, and fish as well as in all reptiles.
Quadrate bone
When the snake retracts its tongue, theses scent particles are carried to the _________________, which are two tiny cavities in the roof of its mouth which contain nerve endings that are extremely sensitive to odor, and it provides a snake with an acute sense of smell, enabling it to follow the trail of its prey.
Jacobson’s organ
What are zoologists who study reptiles and amphibians called?
Herpetologists
What are some examples of the groups of snakes?
Blind snakes, Constrictors, Colubrids, Elapids, Vipers
What are the three largest snakes?
Pythons,
Anacondas,
Boas
What group of snakes are the three largest snakes-pythons, anacondas, boas-part of?
Constrictors
What are the hollow or grooved venom-injecting teeth that scientists use to group poisonous snakes?
Fangs
What group of snakes have immovable fangs in the front of the upper jaw, and are poisonous?
Elapids
What is the largest Venezuela snake, and us 18 feet long?
King cobra
Most venomous snakes of the temperate regions are __________________, which have long, movable fangs attached to the front of the upper jaw.
Viperids
What kind of viper has a sensory depression, or pit, on each side of its head between the eye and the nostril?
Pit viper
What kind of poison affects the nervous system, which controls the functioning of the heart, lungs, and muscles, and causes severe stinging, paralysis, and nausea, and the victim’s pulse becomes weak and rapid?
Neurotoxin
What kind of poison damages blood vessels and destroys red blood cells, and causes a little pain at first, and then the victim later becomes sleepy and his breathing organs are partially paralyzed?
Hemotoxin
Toxins can be treated by use of ______________, which are antibodies that attack the toxin molecules and neutralize their effects.
Antitoxins
What is the cold-blooded reptile with a shell and toothless jaw, and refers to all members of Chelonia, whether aquatic or terrestrial?
Turtle
What is the upper shell of the turtle that us fused to the turtle’s ribs and thoracic vertebrae?
Carapace
What is the lower shell of the turtle that is fused to the clavicles?
Plastron
Some species of turtles survive hot, dry periods by _________________, a state of summer dormancy or limited activity.
Estivation
What term is generally reserved for land turtles with feet and claws suitable for terrestrial life?
Tortoise
What are the large, thick-skinned, long-tailed, aquatic reptiles that are the largest living reptiles?
Crocodilians
What is the only species in a family of its own, also called the Sphenodon, the word means “spiny,” and is a extremely rare, lizardlike reptile , has a crest of enlarged spines along its neck, back, and tail?
Tuatara
What is the “third eye” of the tuatara that is situated on top of its brain, with a hole in the skull just above it, has no eye muscles and thus cannot focus, but instead its function is to sense radiation?
Parietal eye
What is probably the most famous of all extinct creatures, and is a large group of extinct creatures that resemble reptiles in some ways?
Dinosaurs
What are the main groups of dinosaurs?
Sauropods Theropods Ceratopians Pterodactyls Sea creatures
What group of vertebrates are coldblooded, have a three-chambered heart, live on both land and water, and exhibit a diversity of structure?
Amphibians
What type of amphibian is a leaping, tailless amphibian with smooth skin?
Frog
What type of amphibians are leaping, tailless amphibians which have rough, “warty” skin?
Toads
What are three types of pigment cells called, that control the skin coloration of amphibians as well as many reptiles and fish?
Chromatophores
In most species of frogs and toads, the female is clasped by the male in a process called ________________ (a Latin word meaning embrace) which helps the female expel eggs.
Amplexus
What are the two additional teeth that extend from the roof of the frog’s mouth?
Vomerine teeth
In a frog, the pancreas us held in place between the stomach and the first fold of the small intestine by a special membrane called the:
Mesentery
The male salamander deposits sperm in a gelatinous structure, called a:
Spermatophore
A few species of amphibians never metamorphose but remain in the water as permanent larvae, and retain larval characteristics throughout life, even after becoming sexually mature. Thus condition is called:
Paedomorphosis
What is the largest living amphibian, is aquatic, and can exceed five feet in length?
Japanese giant salamander
What term designated the terrestrial form of various members of the family Salamandridae?
Eft
What term refers to the aquatic form of various members of the family Salamandridae?
Newt
What are the slender, burrowing, wormlike amphibians, which range in size from 7 to 53 inches long, and are found in the warm, moist climates of South America, Africa, and southeast Asia?
Caecilians
