December 1st Week Flashcards
what is Chordate Characteristics
Notochord – flexible rod (pre-backbone / vertebral
column), nerve cord (pre-spinal cord) running down back
and slits in throat area.
Phylum Chordata: all vertebrates, few invertebrates
what is Vertebrate Characteristics?
Endoskeleton
endo = inside
protects organs, body shape/support, muscle attachment
backbone (vertebral column, “spine”)
protects spinal cord and provides flexibility
what is Fish Characteristics?
ectotherms (cold-blooded)
fins (movement)
scales
gills (respiration)
water lifestyle
mostly external fertilization
closed circulatory system
2-chamber heart (evolutionarily important)
oldest & largest vertebrate group
what is Fish Classification?
1] Jawless Fish
2] Cartilagenous Fish
3] Bony Fish
Cartilage jaw, scales Bony
skeleton
what are Jawless Fish Characteristics?
No jaws
No scales
cartilage skeleton
Example: hagfish, lampreys
what is Cartilaginous Fish Characteristics?
jaws
scales
cartilage skeleton
carnivores
Example: sharks, rays, skates
what is Bony Fish Characteristics?
scales
bone skeleton
gill pocket with flap
swim bladder (internal gas-filled sac)
what are Amphibian Characteristics?
ectothermic: cold-blooded
juvenile life: water (gills),
movement: fins
1 loop circulatory system, 2 chamber heart, herbivores
what are amphibian adult life features?
adult life: land (lungs) but reproduce in water; thin, moist skin
movement: skeleton with muscle, leaping
2 loop circulatory system, 3 chamber heart, camouflage
carnivores
Example:
frog/toad, (loss of tail), external fertilization
salamander/newts (tail), internal fertilization
caecilians (no legs, no scales)
what are Crocodile and alligators characteristics
Largest living reptiles
Nocturnal carnivores
First living “care for young” behavior
Alligators: broad, rounded snout, few teeth
(mouth closed); max size: 15 ft, 1000 lbs
Crocodiles: tapered, pointed snout; pencil-like;
many teeth (mouth closed); max size: 17-20 ft,
2300 lbs
Turtle Characteristics
shell (with ribs & backbone) made of
fused scales
beak
herbivores & carnivores
Dinosaurs (extinct Reptiles) Characteristics
earliest vertebrates with legs directly
beneath their bodies
Brachiosaurus walked on 4 legs
Tyrannosaurus rex ran on 2 legs
Ectotherms or First endotherms
First “care for young” behavior
Extinction: 65 myrs ago due to asteroid
impact in NE Mexico.
Bird Characteristics
endothermic: warm blooded (maintain constant body
temperature by food and feathers)
feathers
hollow bones
air sacs
First Major Group w/ 4 chamber heart
(prevents mixing of O2 rich and O2 poor blood)
eggs (hard shell)
“care for young” behavior (feed & protect until young able to fly)
internal fertilization
what are birds Adaptation for Flight?
hollow bones
wings
large chest muscles
feathers (2 types):
contour feathers- steering & flight
down feathers- trap heat & warmth
air sacs- connected to lungs to obtain more oxygen
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Bird Flight
Bird’s upward curved wing causes faster moving air above
wing (= lower pressure) and slower moving air below wing
(= higher pressure). As the bird moves through the air, the
high to low pressure results in an upward force called lift.
Lift results in flight.
how do they obtain food
Bills – tear, strainer
Crop - internal storage tank
Two part stomach:
Part 1: chemical breakdown
Part 2: gizzard- physical breakdown
with
stones (gastroliths)
