reptiles Flashcards
Desert Tortoise
Order: Chelonia
Family: Testudianidae
Sci. Name: Gopherus agassizii
Habitat: Desert
Range: Mojave desert to northern mexico
endangered species, herbivorous, eating small near ground grasses and shurbs. require firm ground for burrowing. native to SoCal.
Western Box Turtle
Order: Chelonia
Family: Emydidae
Sci Name: Terrapene ornate
Habitat: Praries and woodlands
Range: midwestern US to Texas and northern Mexico
box turtles have hinged plastrons allowing the animcal to fully enclose the body when threatened. this is a common pet store species.
Spiny softshell turtle
Order: Chelonia
Family: Trionychidae
Sci Name: Apalone spinifera
Habitat: Slow running streams and ponds
Range: Southeast north america
fast swimming aquatic carnivores, often lie hidden in the mus and extend neck so that their snorkle like nose extends above the water. strong oar like webbed feet. forefeet bear three claws tri three, onych and claw)
Snapping Turtle
Order: Chelonia
Family: Chelydridaw
Sci Name: Chelydra serpentina
Habitat: Marshes, pond lakes, rivers and slow streams with abundant aquatic plants
Range: SW canda to equator, rocky mountains to atlantic coast.
ill tempored and prone to bits
Basilisk Lizard
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
Sci Name: Basiliscus vittatus
Habitat: Tropical Wetlands and rainforest. Central America (Costa Rica to Guatemala)
known as the “jesus lizard” due to its abiity to walk on water- must be runnng and be small enough not to break surface tension.
Collard Lizard
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
Sci Name: Crotaphytus collaris
Habitat: rock-dwelling species in arid and chaparral regions
Range: Great Basin to Baja California
Collard lizards move quickly and are insectivores. when encouraged, they do “pushups” to deter predators
Desert Iguana
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
Sci Name: Dipsosaurus doralis
Creosote bush desert. usually found in rocky areas with patches of sand and firm ground.
Range: CA, Nevada, Arizona and Baja CA
well adapted to desert climates and able to withstand high temperatures and desiccation. These lizards feed primarily on vegetarians occasionaly eating small insects.
Chuckwalla
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
Sci Name: Sauromalus obcsus
Habitat: Creosote desert in rocky areas
Range: CA, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Sonora
largest local species of lizard, when threatened they run into rock crevice and wedge themselves firmly by taking gulps of air
Horned Lizard
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
Sci Name: Phrynosoma coronatum
Habitat: Rocky desert
Range: SW North America
camoflage in the desert, eat ants and have unique defense against predators, able to rupture blood vessels in eyes and quirt blood out of their eyes.
Flying Dragon Lizard
Order: Squamata
Family: Agamidae
Sci Name: Draco Dussamteri
Habitat: Rainforest (arboreal)
Range: Borneo surronding islands of SE Asia
skia used to allow the animal to glide between trees. gliding light remarkable adaptation evoloved in multiple lineages within the vertebrae.
Jackson’s Chameleon
Order: Squamata
Family: Chamaeleonidae
Sci Name: Chamacleo jacksonii
Habitat: Arboreal
Range: madagascar, india and east africa
true chameleons change color to camoflage or signal, eyes that can be independently rotated and fixed on an object, to catch insects then can eject their tongue to distance up to twice their body length
Banded Gecko
Order: Squamata
Family Gekkonidae
Sci. Name Coleonyx variegates
Habitat On and around rocks in chaparral or on barren sand dunes Range California to New Mexico, south to Sonora and Baja California
Notes Geckoes are only able to live in deserts because of their nocturnal and subter- ranean habits. ridges on the ventral surface. When running, these ridges engorge with blood and conform to the fine surface details of the substrate, ensuring a good grip even on glass!
two-footed mole lizard
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Sci Name: Bipes canaliculatus
Habitat : Burrows in sandy soils
Range: Rare, found only along the west coast of Baja California.
Notes: Amphisbaenids are thought by some to be the ancestors to snakes . The skull is shovel-like and used to help these animals dig. Note the similarity between Bipes and the caecilian we looked at last time. This is an example of convergent evolution.
Green Tree Monitor
Order: Squamata
Family Varanidae
Sci. Name Varanus prasinus
Habitat: Terrestrial or arboreal, found in a wide variety of habitats including deserts, coastal areas, and mountains
Range New Guinea and Australia
Notes: Monitor lizards are carnivorous and include the largest known lizard, the Ko- modo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis). The bite of this animal can be very dangerous, not because of venom, but because of the wide variety of pathogenic bacteria found in its saliva.
Boa Constrictor
Order: Squamata
Family Boidae
Sci. Name Boa constrictor
Habitat; Arboreal in tropics and subtropics
Range: Central and South America
Notes The boa constrictor is ovoviviparous, meaning that it retains and hatches its eggs internally. These boids are common pets, and are generally quite tame.
Rosy Boa
Order: Squamata
Family Boidae
Sci. Name Lichanura trivirgata
Habitat: Rocky brushland and desert
Range: Death Valley, California to Baja California and Sonora
Notes As with all members of the Boidae, males can be distinguished from females by the presence of two small spurs next to the urogenital slit. These spurs represent vestigial hind limbs.
Sidewinder
Order: Squamata
Family Viperidae
Sci. Name Crotalus cerastes
Habitat: A desert species, found among wind-blown sand
Range: California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and Sonora
Notes: Venomous and viviparous. Has a distinctive “sidewinding” means of locomotion. Note the pointed supraoculars (horns above the eyes). Many members of family Viperidae have heat-sensitive pits, which they can use to detect warm-blooded prey.
Western Diamondback rattlesnake
Family Viperidae
Sci. Name Crotalus atrox
Habitat: Arid and semiarid regions in a variety of habitats
Range: California to Oklahoma, south to southernmost Mexico. Common locally.
A viviparous (live-bearing) snake that is venomous and dangerous. The cost of antivenin for the bite of a diamondback rattlesnake is approximately $60,000.
Saw-Scaled ViperFamily
Family: Viperidae
Sci. Name: Echis carinatus
Habitat :Burrows in desert sands in arid regions Range Middle East and North Africa
Notes Famous for having the most potent venom of any viper, the saw-scaled viper has a warning system similar to rattlesnakes. When threatened, these vipers rub scaled of different parts of their body together to form a loud rasping sound. This is an example of auditory aposematism.
Common King Snake
Family: Colubridae
Sci. Name: Lampropeltis getula
Habitat :Forests, woodlands, swamps, prairie, chaparral, and desert Range throughout the US and northern Mexico
display geographic variation in color patterns. They feed on other snakes, even rattlesnakes, although their bite lacks venom. King snakes are classic examples of Batesian mimicry, as their coloration and patterning closely matches that of the venomous coral snake (see below).
Arizona Coral Snake
Family: Elapidae
Sci. Name Micruroides euryxanthus
Habitat Arid and semiarid regions in a variety of habitats
Range Arizona, New Mexico, and Sonora
Notes As with all elapids, the Arizona coral snake is highly venomous. To distinguish between the dangerous coral snake and the innocuous king snake, remember the mnemonic “red touches yellow, you’re a dead fellow; red touches black, it’s okay, Jack.”
American Alligator
Order: Crocodilia
Family Alligatoridae
Sci. Name Alligator mississippiensis
Habitat Coastal freshwater, swamps, lakes, and marshes Range southeast USA
Notes An oviparous species that builds large nests of rotting vegetation to incubate eggs. Surprisingly, females provide maternal care, staying with the eggs from the time of laying to the time of hatching, and guarding the nest against scavengers looking for a quick omelet. Sex in the young is determined primarily by the temperature of incubation rather than genetics.
Spectacled Caiman
Order: Crocodila
Family Alligatoridae
Sci. Name Caiman crocodilus
Habitat Shallow freshwater lakes, streams, and ponds. Swamps and marshes Range Tropical South America
Notes Caimans range from 4 to 15 feet in length as adults, and are the major South American crocodilians. They are effective predators, feeding on a wide variety of vertebrate prey from fish to small mammals.
