Turtles Flashcards
Herpetology
“The study of amphibians and reptiles.”
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.3)
When did reptiles first appear?
~320 million years ago during the Carboniferous.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.3)
What are the clades of reptiles?
Archosauria (crocodylians and birds)
Testudines (turtles)
Lepidosauria (tuataras and squamates)
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.5)
What is a turtle?
An ectothermic, toothless, vertebrate with four feet (tetrapod) that reproduces by depositing eggs (oviparity), whose body is encased within a shell made of bone that protects it.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014)
What did tetrapods descend from and how?
Lobe-finned fishes.
Strong pectoral fins gradually evolved into limbs.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.8)
What is the taxonomy for turtles?
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vetebrata
Tetrapoda
Amphibia
Amniota
Class: Reptilia
Order: Testudines
What has the greatest impacts on the development of turtle eggs?
Temperature
Water availability
Gas exchange
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.42)
What are the impacts of temperature on reptile egg development?
Too low = development can’t take place as quickly as it needs to so they don’t hatch on time and can emerge when conditions aren’t great.
Too high = they use up all the resources within the egg before completely developing.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.42)
What are the impacts of moisture on reptile egg development?
Too much or too little = poor gas exchange impeding development.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.43)
How does a turtle monitor its environment? What do they use?
Sense organs.
Skin (cutaneous sense organs):
Pain and temperature receptors
Mechanoreceptors for pressure and touch (e.g., tension, stretching).
Ears:
Neuromasts in inner ear - Hearing, balance, position and movement of head.
Eyes:
Retina - light
Nose (nasal organs):
Vestibule (nasal cavity) lined with sensory or olfactory epithelium.
Internal sense organs:
Proprioceptor organs - tension and stress on musculoskeletal system
Taste buds
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.68-71)
How long have turtles been around?
At least 220-210 million years - Late Triassic.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.105)
How big was the biggest turtle recorded? When?
Carapace length of 3m.
Miocene
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.106)
For reptiles, when is mortality often the greatest?
When they’re eggs.
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.125)
What is the general life history of all turtles?
Mature later in life,
reproduce for many years,
are long-lived,
have 3 life stages: egg, juvenile, adult,
Reproduce by internal fertilization,
then oviparity (lay eggs).
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.150)
What are some factors that impact a reptile’s home range?
Sex
Animal size
Population density
Resource availability
Microclimate
Physical structure of habitat
Energy requirements
(Vitt & Caldwell, 2014 pg.232,235, 237)
