Herpetologists and Their Science: By: Ian Cris P. Torilla
Herpetologists and Their Science: By: Ian Cris P. Torilla
AND THEIR
SCIENCE
By : Ian Cris P.
Torilla
The Field of Herpetology.
The Salamander
Reptiles
Lizards
Amphibians
Four limbs with claws on digits (toes)
Lungs instead of gills
Both internal & external nares (nostrils)
Three chambered heart (two atria & one ventricle)
Double loop blood circulation to lungs & rest of
body cells
Skin with keratin (protein) to prevent water loss
Necks help to more easily see & feed
Most with smooth, moist skin to take in dissolved
oxygen
Some with oral glands to moisten food they eat
Webbed toes without claws
Ectothermic - body temperature changes with
environment
Show dormancy or torpor (state of inactivity during
unfavorable environmental conditions)
Hibernate in winter and aestivate in summer
Aquatic larva called tadpole goes through
metamorphosis to adult Metamorphosis
FROGS AND TOADS
waterproof
Internal fertalization
Four limbs
Rely on speed, agility, & camouflage to catch prey
Feed on insects & small worms
Some, such as anole & chameleon, can change
colors for protection
May use active displays such as squirting blood,
hissing, or inflating bodies
Some can show autotomy (breaking off tail to
escape predators)
Two poisonous U.S. species include Gila Monster
& Beaded Lizard