Final

Question 1

Leptotyphlopidae

Answer 1

slender, blind/thread snakes
-no teeth
-blind and fossorial
-oviparous
-very small

Question 2

Typhlopidae

Answer 2

Blind snakes
-fossorial
-teeth only in upper jaw
-overhanging rostral scale forms shovel

Question 3

Uropeltidae

Answer 3

Shield tailed snakes
-viviparous and fossorial
-feeds mostly on earthworms

Question 4

Boidae

Answer 4

Boas
-labial infrared sensors
-cloacal spurs in males
-viviparous

Question 5

Xenopeltidae

Answer 5

Sunbeam snakes
-smooth shiny iridescent scales
-left lung large
-fossorial nocturnal

Question 6

Loxocemidae

Answer 6

Mexican burrowing python
-oviparous
-cranial features of some primitive snakes

Question 7

Pythonidae

Answer 7

Pythons
-Infrared-sensitive sensory between
labial scales in distinct pits
- cloacal spurs
-All are oviparous

Question 8

Acrochordidae

Answer 8

File Snakes
-Baggy skin and triangularly keeled scales
-left lung absent
-aquatic, eats fish and crustaceans
-viviparous

Question 9

Viperidae

Answer 9

Vipers
-front rotating fangs
-venomous, triangular head
- cryptic coloration

Question 10

Elapidae

Answer 10

Cobras, Corals, Mambas,
Kraits, and Sea Snakes
-venomous with erect front
fixed fangs
- active foragers

Question 11

Pygopodidae

Answer 11

Flap-footed Lizard
-elongate and limbless
-short bodies, long tail

Question 12

Eublepharidae

Answer 12

Eyelid Geckos (including the
Common Leopard Gecko)
-nocturnal and terrestrial
-lack toepads
functional eyelids

Question 13

Gekkonidae

Answer 13

Spectacled geckos
-Diurnal or nocturnal
-Terrestrial or arboreal
- Most with adhesive toepads and fixed eyelids

Question 14

Scincidae

Answer 14

Skinks
- Largest lizard family; occupy almost any niche
-Most diurnal
-Most with smooth, shiny, overlapping scales with osteoderms underneath

Question 15

Cordylidae

Answer 15

Girdled Lizards
-Scales in transverse rings
-strongly keeled or very spiny tail
- Heavily armored with osteoderms

Question 16

Teiidae

Answer 16

Whiptails, Race runners, Tegu
- Active and diurnal
-Deserts to tropical rainforests

Question 17

Lacertidae

Answer 17

Wall Lizards
-Small to moderate-sized
- Dorsal scales usually small and
granular
-All diurnal; most are active
terrestrial or rock-dwelling
-oviparous

Question 18

Helodermatidae

Answer 18

Gila Monster and Mexican Beaded
- Large with short, blunt tails for
fat storage
-Venomous
-Eat mostly vertebrates
-Active foragers but spend 95%
of time in underground shelters

Question 19

Anguidae

Answer 19

Glass and Alligator Lizards
Small to very large
-Heavily armored with
overlapping scales and
osteoderms
- Most terrestrial
-Limb reduction and loss in
many
- Tail usually longer than the
body

Question 20

Varanidae

Answer 20

Monitors and Goannas
-Active, fast-moving foragers
-Eat vertebrates and invertebrates
-Midsized to HUGE!
-Can run and breathe at the same time

Question 21

Camaeleonidae

Answer 21

Chameleons
-Laterally compressed bodies
-Extensive development
horns, and crests on head
-Prehensile tail in arboreal species
- Acrodont teeth
-Most with chromatophores

Question 22

Agamidae

Answer 22

Dragons and relatives
-Moderate-sized to large with four well-developed limbs
- Acrodont teeth
-Scales often modified to form
extensive crests, frills, or
spines (dimorphic in many
species)

Question 23

Phrynosomatidae

Answer 23

Horned, Spiny, and Sand Lizards
-Constitute a large portion of lizards
in the desert southwest of the U.S.
and northeast Mexico

Question 24

Iguanidae

Answer 24

Iguanas
-Moderate to large
-Terrestrial, rock-dwelling, or
arboreal
- Herbivores as adults, with
special digestive adaptations

Question 25

Dactyloidae

Answer 25

Anoles
-Small lizards
- Most arboreal
-Brightly colored dewlaps,
especially in males

Question 26

Crotaphytidae

Answer 26

Collared and Leopard lizards
-Moderately large, often
colorful
- Somewhat heavy-bodied
-Large jaw adductor muscles
for a powerful bite
- Squealing vocalizations when
stressed

Question 27

Corytophanidae

Answer 27

Basilisk and Caskhead Lizards
-Well-developed head
crests and casques.
-Crests usually sexually
dimorphic

Question 28

Sex Determination in reptiles

Answer 28

GSD (genetic/genotype sex determination)
or
TSD (temperature sex determination)

Question 29

TSD (temperature sex determination) three responses

Answer 29

-Pattern Ia – males produced at cooler temps
-Pattern Ib – females produced at cooler temps
-Pattern II – females produced at warmer and cooler temps; males produced at
intermediate temps

Question 30

Pivotal temperature

Answer 30

– constant temp that results in equal numbers of
males and females

Question 31

Hybridogenesis

Answer 31

fertilization occurs but the paternal genome is rejected during
gametogenesis and thus is never passed to descendants

Question 32

Gynogenesis

Answer 32

male’s sperm is used to trigger cell division in the egg but fertilization does not occur

Question 33

Parthenogenesis

Answer 33

-diploid eggs from unreduced (2n) gametes are produced and all offspring are female clones of their
mother
-No male is needed to stimulate reproduction and no males are usually found in these populations

Question 34

Spherical eggs

Answer 34

-More efficient for packing large numbers into
a confined space
- Lowest surface to volume ratio and are
therefore less subject to desiccation.
- Less calcium required for rigid spherical eggs

Question 35

Oblong eggs

Answer 35

-Maximizes volume of an egg – bigger
hatchlings
- Pass through pelvic aperture more easily
-Smaller clutches because less efficient packing
- Higher surface-to-volume ratio, so more
susceptible to desiccation.

Question 36

Sea turtle nesting steps

Answer 36

• Lays on sand; uses her 4 limbs to dig a pit larger than her
  own dimensions (body pit). She can be concealed while
  she completes nest prep and egg deposition
• Lying in body pit she uses her hind limbs to dig a flaskshaped egg chamber
• Lowers her cloaca over the opening in the egg chamber
  and deposits eggs rapidly (~ 20 minutes).
• Fills the chamber with sand with her hind legs, often
  stopping to moisten the nest with bladder water
• Covers egg chamber and then body pit with all 4 limbs;
  flicks and sprays the sand in all directions to hide evidence
  of the nest from hungry predators l
• Sea turtles may nest only every two or three years but
  they lay several clutches during a breeding year to offset
  tremendous mortality rates

Question 37

Communication by salamanders

Answer 37

Chemical, visual, and tactile signals dominate most at close range

Question 38

Anuran communication

Answer 38

Chemical (not major)
Visual (important)
Acoustic (most important)

Question 39

Communication by lizards

Answer 39

Well-developed visual system
Three distinct chemosensory systems:
-olfactory
-taste buds
- vomeronasal system – tongue flick out and collects chemicals
Chemical (femoral glands)

Question 40

Communication by snakes

Answer 40

-chemosensory information
- tactile signals
-Use chemical signals
(no heavy reliance on visual or acoustic signals)

Question 41

Lizard locomotion Stride length enhanced by

Answer 41

-substantial lateral bending
of the vertebral axis
- Seemingly antagonistic
muscles around a joint
sometimes contract
simultaneously and stabilize
the elbow or shoulder.
- unusual joint between the
pectoral girdle and sternum

Question 42

freshwater turtle locomotion

Answer 42

Rowing is asynchronous
– Hind limbs predominantly generate thrust
– Fore limbs are used for orienting
– Not as fast as synchronous rowing

Question 43

Locomotion In Sea Turtles and Pig-nosed Turtles

Answer 43

Fore limbs produce thrust (work as hydrofoils)
- Hind limbs used for orientation
– synchronously swimming is 6× faster than asynchronous
swimming

Question 44

Snake movement types

Answer 44

– Lateral undulation – s-shaped path on a surface with friction
– Slide pushing – s-shaped path on a surface w/little friction
– Concertina – “army crawl”
– Rectilinear – “inch worm”
– Side-winding – sideways “army crawl”