Lizards Flashcards
Lizard Skeletal
What are some attributes of the skull? 3 marks
Have strong jaws to help immobilise prey.
Skull articulates with the cervical vertebrae via a single occipital vertebrae.
Teeth are replaced to keep them sharp.
Lizard Skeletal
Explain 4 attributes of the skeleton?
Very mobile.
Have a flexible backbone and long tail for counter balance.
Coccygeal vertebrae have ventral heal arches.
Tail has fractured planes (no bone) in the mid to caudal portion.
Lizard Skeletal
What is the backbone divided into?
Pre-sacral, Sacral, Caudal region.
What occurs during autonomy in lizards?
Self amputation of the tail.
Coccygeal vertebrae are not replaced, instead the tail can regenerate with cartilage.
The tail can still move once detached and it is used as a defence mechanism.
Lizard Respiratory System
What happens during inspiration and expiration?
Inspiration:
Contraction of intercostal muscles plus elastic tissue of the lungs.
Expiration:
Contraction of intercostal muscles and abdominal muscles plus elastic recoil of lungs.
Lizard Respiratory System
Explain some attributes of the respiratory system. (5 marks)
Paired nostrils.
2 lungs but no diaphragm.
Trachea is protected by rudimentary larynx.
Trachea has incomplete C-shaped rings of cartilage.
No epiglottis and often no vocal cords.
Where would you take a blood sample from a lizard?
Ventral coccygeal vein
Jugular vein
Cranial vena cava
Lizard Digestive System
Explain the attributes of the digestive system. (6 marks)
Tongue is mobile and protrusible.
Jacobson’s organ is present aiding olfaction.
Stomach is simple and sac like.
Small intestine more developed in carnivores, shorter in herbivores.
Large intestine more developed in herbivores.
Caecum based at junction between SI and LI.
What does the parietal eye do in lizards?
Associated with the pineal gland to react to light changes.
Regulates cardiac rhythms.
Plays a role in hormone production and thermoregulation.
What is the subcutaneous injection site in lizards?
Lateral body wall or inguinal space
What is the intramuscular injection site in lizards?
Forelimb
What are the intra osseous injection sites in lizards?
Tibial crest
Proximal humerus
Distal femur
Ulna
What is a lizards dietary requirements?
Geckos and skinks: insects and meal worms dusted in calcium.
Can eat: crickets, fruit flies, locusts, mealworms, waxworks.
Insects should be no longer than the lizards mouth.
Supplemented vitamin D3 and calcium.
Fresh water.
Young fed 2/3 times daily.
Appetite slows as growth does.
