Reptiles and Birds Test Flashcards
also study picture of animals and stuff to know
The first reptile fossil dates back to
carboniferous period
Age of the reptiles
Meszoic Era
Adaptive Radiation
diversification of a species or single ancestral type into several forms that are each adaptively specialized to evolve to exploit a new niche or resourse
Habitat
where an animal lives
Niche
the role they play in that system
Two types of dinosaurs
- Ornithischian (bird-hipped)
- Saruischia (lizard-hipped)
Bird Hipped
ornithischian, when the hip bones are arranged so that the pubis and ischium point down towards the tail
Lizard Hipped
saurischia, when the hip bones are aranged so that the pubis points downward and forward at an angle to the ishium
Two catagories of Saurishcia
- Sauropoda
- Theropoda`
Sauropoda
large herbivores
Theropoda
bipedal carnivores
Which hips do current birds have
Theropod (lizard-hipped)(saurichia)
Archaeopteryx
bird-like winged dinosaur
How many mass extinctions
5
Ectotherms
animals rely on behavior to control the body temp bc their muscle activity depends on chemical reactions that run quickly when it’s hot and slow when cold
How many alveoli does a frog have
more than amphibians which allows for a larger area of gas exchange
Diaphragmatic muscles
expands to the lungs. it contracts upon inhalation and flattens and the chest cavity enlarges
Intercostal Muscle(reptiles)
located between the ribs and used for respiration
How many atriums does a reptile heart have
2
Cerebrum and Cerebellum
more developed than other parts of the brain
Cerebral (reptiles
the part of the brain which contains learning
Jacobson Organ
the thing at the top of a snake’s mouth and sticks its tongue in it and it interprets smells and things like that
The type of eardrum that reptiles have
external eardrum
Pit organs
contain a membrane that can detect infrared radiation from warm bodies up to one meter away
How do reptiles give birth
reptiles are ovivparous
The type of egg that reptiles lay
amniotic eggs
4 membranse of an amniotic egg
- amnion
- yolk sac
- chorion
- allantois
Amnion
a fluid-filled sac that surrounds and cushions the developing embryo
Yolk Sac
contains the yolk that serves as a nutrient-rich food supply for the embryo. egg yolk is one of the few foods w/ natural vitamin D
Chorion
regulates the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide. the eggshell has tiny pores that allow oxygen to enter the egg and CO2 to leave
Air Sac
provides space for the reptile to break the shell and provide oxygen to start the process of growing
Allantois (3 main funtions)
- collect the excretion from the embryonic kidneys (gets rid of urine)
- absorbs calcium from the shell for structural needs of the embryo
- it absorbs albumen which serves as nutrients (protein) for the embryo
The four surviving groups of reptiles are
- lizards and snakes
- crocodilians
- turtles and tortoises
- tuatara
Lizards
external ears, movable eyelids
Snakes
immovable eyelids, no external eardrums
How many species of lizards are there today
approximately 3800 species
Komodo Dragons
largest living lizard lives on islands, uses camoflaouge, smells meat 2.5 miles away, the mouth has 50 strains of bacteria, sometimes eats the young, kills creatures 10x their size
How many venomous lizards are there
3
Gila monster
largest lizard native to the US feeds primarily on eggs, they don’t need to eat very often because they keep fat in their tails, Gila monsters have evolved urine bladders that serve as reservoirs storing up water
Mexican Bearded Lizard
found in mexico and southern guatemala, the venom of this lizard has been found to contain several enzymes that can help w/ diabetes, it stimulates the secretion of insulin, not venomous enough to kill but can cause serious pain
Frilled Lizards
uses its frill to scare off predators, lives in, lives in Australia, nickname “bicycle lizard”, they run from predators
Yellow-Backed spiny lizards
the male does push-ups to defend their territory and look bigger than they are
Southern Desert Horned Lizard
when they feel threatened the lizards squirt blood from their eyes to scare predators. The blood doesn’t taste good to the animals and the predators will drop them
Horned Lizard
knows the difference between lizard-eating snakes and egg-eating snakes, when they see egg eating they will fight but when they see lizard eating they will puff up
what do crocodiles mouth look like
have long v snouts, when they close their mouth all you can see is their top teeth because their upper jaw is bigger than the lower jaw
what do alligators mouth look like
rounded u snouts, when they close their mouth you can see a lot of their teeth because their jaws are roughly the same size
Where crocodiles live
live where it’s warm and in either fresh or saltwater, native to Africa, India, and Southeast Asia
Where gators live
can be found all along the east coast
TRPV4
a thermosensitive protein that is in the developing alligator and helps determine the gender
what are the temps to be a female
below 30C/86F
what are the temps to be a male
above 33.9C/93F
temps in between result in
in a mix of the two genders
Water Hiccups
birds that lay their eggs near the crocodiles and act as the first line of defense for the crocodiles and
Tortoises Carapace
is generally higher and more dome-shaped than turtles
Turtles Carapace
is flatter to help it sim better it helps them glide through the water.
Tortotsieses feet
short and stump legs and feet
Turtles feet
longer legs than tortoises and falt feel with claws and webbed toes for digging and swimming
Two parts of a tortoise and turtle shell
dorsal part (carapace) ventral part (plastron) in between is the bridge
The 3 layers of a turtle shell
- layer of cartilaginous bones that form the shape of broadened ribs
- this is then covered by a layer of membrane bones of scales
- scutes are layers made of keratin
Terrapin
a turtle that lives in freshwater and sometimes in saltwater, don’t have legs, they are carnivores and eats birds and hunt in groups
Box turtles
recently endangered because of habitat loss, can’t see when in shell, only in water when cooling off, poor eyesight, and slow
how to tell gender in box turtles
red eyes: male dark eyes: female they are the only turtles like that
Why were turtles on boats
they were carried on ships as a source of meat because they could live without water and then they would kill them and get fresh meat
Matamata
a camouflaged turtle that blends in with the fallen leaves ar the pond
Pancake Turtle
hides in rock because they are so flat
Cold Painted Slider
don’t breathe and their heart doesn’t beat but they can survive the winter and they thaw out when the winter ends.
Alligator snapping turtle
has an appendage on its tounge that wiggles and attracts fish like bait
Tuatara
only found on a few islands of New Zealand. they lack an external tympanic eardrum but they can still hear. they have a middle ear cavity with stares they also have a third eye, and they also change color over their lifetime
what does the third eye in tuatara do
it has a retina and lens but it doesn’t form formal images.
1. used to regulate hormones
2. used as a sun-calibrated compass
What is the defining characteristic of the birds
feathers
Where do feathers develop from
pits in the birds skin
How are feathers organized
in linear tracts (pterylae)
what are the spaces on a bird’s body that don’t have feather tracts
apteria
3 main types of feathers
- contour feathers
- down feathers
- filoplumes
Contour feathers
the outermost feathers (provivde color and shape) help control body heat, each feather is controlled by specialized muscles which control the position of the feathers
Rachis
the central shaft where the areas to which vanes are connected
Calamus
the part of the shaft closest to the bird’s body (hollow)
Outer Vane
the leading edge of the feather during flight
Inner Vane
the opposite vane, wider than the outer vane
Barbs
series of parallel branches (make-up vanes)
Barbules
tiny hooks that tie the barbs together
Down Feathers
in down feathers the ranchis is missing or reduced in length, the barbules lock hook when combined with the franchise and it results in a very soft and fluffier feather. help regulate body temp and lay under contour feathers
Powder Down Feathers
never molted and grow continuously but they disintegrate at the tips into a fine talcum-like powder. the powder helps waterproof birds and increase buoyancy also trap air and insulate
Filoplumes
very fine hair-like feathers with a long shaft and only a few barbs at the tip, they think it has a sensory function that helps adjust the position of contour feathers in response to air pressure
What was the first bird-like fossil discovered
Archaeopteryx
Characteristics of Archaeopteryx
- reptilian face, wing claw, long tail with vertebrates (reptile features)
- airfoil wings with contour feathers (bird features)
How are birds endotherms
they have a very high rate of metabolism which produces heat and creates energy very fast
Normal body temp for a bird
usually 7-8 degrees hotter than humans (41C/106F)
What happens if the bird is too cold
the bird will freeze and die (below 16.6C/62F)
What happens if it is too cold (birds)
the bird gets stressed to lose heat and its metabolism speeds up and it overheats and dies (above 33C/92F)
Why are birds constantly eating
because they have to be constantly making more energy and they get it by eating lots
Insect-eating birds and their beak
short thin bills that pick ants and insects off leaves and branches
Seed eating birds
have short thick beaks
carnivorous birds
shred their prey with strong hookbill
Crop
is a structure at the lower end of the esophagus where food is stored and moistened (during nutrients it produces food for babies)
2 part stomach where food goes (birds)
1 chamber (secretes acid and enzymes)
2 chamber (gizzard)
Gizzard
a muscular organ that helps in the mechanical breakdown of food and birds swallow stones to help with the digestion process
Where does the food go after the stomach (birds)
the intestines and then the cloaca
How does air flow in birds
in a single direction
Air sacs
store air and act like bellows which allows a one-way flow of air
2 things the one-way flow of air helps with
- constantly exposes the lungs to oxygen-rich air this helps maintain a high metabolic rate
- provides efficient extraction of oxygen which enables birds to fly at high altitudes where air is thin
How many chambers does a bird’s heart have
4
Two circulatory loops of the bird’s heart
- oxygen-poor blood from the body to the lungs
- oxygen-rich blood returns from the lungs to the rest of the body
Birds have a great…
cerebrum that quickly interprets signals for flying
Birds have a bad…
olfactory bulb
What is the measure of vision
acuity
Bird eyes make up how much of their heads
15% ,human eyes make up 2%
where are eyes located on birds
on the sides and they can’t roll their eyes so they have to turn their heads to see
what type of vision do birds have
don’t have binocular vision (when both pictures from both eyes are put together to make one) which makes judging distance hard.
What do birds have to protect their eyes
nictitating membranes
Cerebellum (birds)
coordinates the movements of the wings and legs and is larger in birds than in reptiles
Medulla Obalngata
controls automatic functions, relays never signals between the brain and spinal cord
3 parts of flight
- Take off from the ground or perch
- sustained powered flight
- landing
Pectoral Muscles
largest, most powerful muscles in a flying bird’s body
how many orders of birds
30
passerines
the largest (perching birds)
Anseriformes
aquatic birds have three toed feet with the toes linking together by webbing
Columbiformes
313 species, found worldwide, many species of pigeons and doves, eat primarily seeds fruits and leaves, capable of drinking by sucking and don’t need to tilt head
