Fishes, Amphibians, and Reptiles

Question 1

vertebrae

Answer 1

an animal that has a backbone

Question 2

Endotherm

Answer 2

an animal that is dependent on or capable of the internal generation of heat; a warm-blooded animal.

Question 3

Ectotherm

Answer 3

an animal that is dependent on external sources of body heat.

Question 4

Lateral Line

Answer 4

a visible line along the side of a fish consisting of a series of sense organs which detect pressure and vibration.

Question 5

Gill

Answer 5

1 : an organ (as of a fish) for obtaining oxygen from water. 2a : wattle entry 3. b : the flesh under or about the chin or jaws —usually used in plural. c : one of the radiating plates forming the undersurface of the cap of a mushroom fungus. to the gills.

Question 6

Jawless fishes

Answer 6

Agnatha is a superclass of jawless fish in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, consisting of both present and extinct species. The group is sister to all vertebrates with jaws, known as gnathostomes

Question 7

Cartilaginous fishes

Answer 7

Chondrichthyes is a class that contains the cartilaginous fishes that have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage. They can be contrasted with the Osteichthyes or bony fishes, which have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue.

Question 8

Bony fishes

Answer 8

Osteichthyes, popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse taxonomic group of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage.

Question 9

Swim bladder

Answer 9

The swim bladder, gas bladder, fish maw, or air bladder is an internal gas-filled organ that contributes to the ability of many bony fish (but not cartilaginous fish) to control their buoyancy, and thus to stay at their current water depth without having to waste energy in swimming.

Question 10

Lung

Answer 10

The lungs are a pair of spongy, air-filled organs located on either side of the chest (thorax). The trachea (windpipe) conducts inhaled air into the lungs through its tubular branches, called bronchi

Question 11

Tadpole

Answer 11

A tadpole is the larval stage in the life cycle of an amphibian. Most tadpoles are fully aquatic, though some species of amphibians have tadpoles that are terrestrial. Tadpoles have some features that may not be found in adult amphibians such as a lateral line, gills, and tails.

Question 12

Metamorphosis

Answer 12

(in an insect or amphibian) the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages.

Question 13

Caecilians

Answer 13

a burrowing wormlike amphibian of a tropical order distinguished by poorly developed eyes and the lack of limbs.

Question 14

Salamanders

Answer 14

Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by a lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All 10 present-day salamander families are grouped together under the order Urodela.

Question 15

Frogs

Answer 15

A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura. The oldest fossil “proto-frog” appeared in the early Triassic of Madagascar, but molecular clock dating suggests their origins may extend further back to the Permian, 265 million years ago.

Question 16

Toads

Answer 16

Toad is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands

Question 17

Amniotic egg

Answer 17

The amniotic egg was an evolutionary invention that allowed the first reptiles to colonize dry land more than 300 million years ago. Fishes and amphibians must lay their eggs in water and therefore cannot live far from water. But thanks to the amniotic egg, reptiles can lay their eggs nearly anywhere on dry land.

Question 18

Turtles

Answer 18

Turtles are reptiles of the order Chelonia or Testudines. They are characterized by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield. Colloquially, the word “turtle” is generally restricted to fresh-water and sea-dwelling Testudines.

Question 19

Tortoises

Answer 19

Tortoises are reptile species of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines. They are particularly distinguished from other turtles by being exclusively land-dwelling, while many other turtle species are at least partly aquatic

Question 20

Crocodiles

Answer 20

Crocodiles or true crocodiles are large semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. Crocodylinae, all of whose members are considered true crocodiles, is classified as a biological subfamily.

Question 21

Alligators

Answer 21

An alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator and the Chinese alligator. Additionally, several extinct species of alligator are known from fossil remains

Question 22

Snakes

Answer 22

Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes. Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales

Question 23

Lizards

Answer 23

Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 6,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains.

Question 24

Tuataras

Answer 24

Tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand, belonging to the genus Sphenodon. Although resembling most lizards, they are part of a distinct lineage, the order Rhynchocephalia. Their name derives from the Māori language and means “peaks on the back