Reptile Basics Flashcards
Name 6 characteristics that make a reptile a reptile.
- scales
- dry skin
- eggs or live birth
- ear holes
- 4 legs or no legs
- cold blooded: ectothermic and poykiothermic
In evolution, reptiles are the first __________.
Amniotes
What are 3 adaptations reptiles evolved to living on land?
- amniotic egg with extraembryonic membranes
- less permeable skin
- more upright stance
What is the existing category of reptiles and birds?
sauropsida
Which reptiles have skull openings and what are they called? What are they called if they don’t have any openings? What do the openings do?
- snakes and lizards have 2 openings in their skull: diapsids
- turtles don’t have openings: anapsids
- Allows for more muscle growth to make the jaw stronger.
What is the name for mammals skull openings?
synapsida
What class are reptiles in?
reptilia
What subclass are turtles, alligators and crocodiles?
archosauria
What order are turtles?
testudines
What order are alligators and crocodiles?
crocodylia
What subclass are snakes and lizards?
Leopidosauria
What order are snakes and lizards?
Squamata
Name 6 characteristics of Testudines.
- Boxlike shell with upper and lower shields attached to the ribs.
- Carapace is fusion of vertebrae and ribs with dermal bones.
- Shell covered with scutes.
- Long lived - some live over 100 years.
- No teeth.
- Sharp beak: tomia
What are the top and bottom parts of turtle shells called?
Top: carapace
Bottom: plastron
What are the pieces of a turtle shell called?
scutes
