Chapter 20

Reptiles
 Introduction
• Class Reptilia
• Order Testudines or Chelonia -----Turtles
• Order Rhynchocephalia------------Tuataras
• Order Squamata------------------snakes, lizards, worm
lizards
• Order Crocodilia-------------------crocodiles, alligators,
caimans, gavials.
 Evolutionary Perspective
• I. It is believed that the earliest members of the reptile family
were the first to have amniotic eggs.
• A. Characteristics of amniotic eggs:
• 1.Extraembronic membranes (protect the embryo from
desiccation).
• 2. cushion the embryo
• 3. promote gas transfer
• 4. store waste materials
• 5. leathery or hard shells
• 6. albumen cushions the embryo and provides moisture and
nutrients
• 7. yolk supplies food
Amniotic Egg
 Basic Characteristics of the Reptile
Group
• 1. They have a skull with 1 surface for movement with
the first neck vertebra
• 2. respiration by lungs
• 3. kidneys
• 4. internal fertilization
• 5. amniotic eggs
• 6. dry skin with keratinized epidermal scales
*****note there are 17 orders of reptiles, most extinct, 4
orders today.********
NO not a chicken
Compare and Contrast
 Order Testudines (Chelonia)
Turtles
• Roughly 225 species of turtles
• Characteristics
• 1.bony shell
• 2. limbs articulating internally to the ribs
• 3. keratinized beak rather than teeth
• 4. hinge that allows the shell to open and close (head
and legs to come in and out)
• 5. 8 cervical vertebrae (which can curve into S shape
which allows turtles head to be drawn in)
 Order Testudines (Chelonia)
Turtles
• 6. long life spans
• (reach sexual maturity at 7-8 years, and live 14 years
or more, some on the Galapagos Islands may live in
excess of 100 years)
• 7. oviparous (eggs are deposited outside the body)
• Females use hind limbs to excavate nests in the soil.
They lay eggs there and cover with soil. Usually laid in
clutches of 5-100 eggs.
 Order Rhynchocephalia
Lizardlike Reptiles
• Characteristics
• 1. two rows of teeth on the upper jaw, and a single row on the
lower jaw
• ****gives them a bite that could decapitate a small bird*****
• 2. widely distributed in New Zealand
• 3. often fall prey to human influences and domestic animals
• 4. oviparous (lay eggs outside the body)
• 5. share underground burrows with seabirds
• 6. venture out of their burrows at dusk and dawn to feed on
insects or occasionally small vertebrates.
• See picture on page 316, Figure 20.7
Stopped here on feb 25
 Order Squamata

• Broken down into:

• Suborder Sauria – THE LIZARDS
• Suborder Serpentes- THE SNAKES
• Suborder Amphisbaenia- WORM LIZARDS
 Suborder Sauria – THE
LIZARDS
• Characteristics
• 1. 3,300 species
• 2. two pairs of legs
• 3. upper and lower jaws unite anteriorly
• 4. length varies from 1 centimeter to 3 meters
• 5. live on surface substrates
• 6. hide or live under rocks or logs
• 7. some burrow or stay in trees
• 8. deposit eggs under rocks or debris or in burrows
• 9. can be oviparous, ovoviviparous, viviparous
• Examples: Geckos, Iguanas, Gila Monster – the only venomous
lizards known.
 Suborder Serpentes- The Snakes
• Characteristics:
• 1. 2,300 species of snakes
• 2. 300 species are venomous
• 3. Worldwide about 30-40,000 people die from snake bites, most of these are
in Southeast Asia
• 4. elongated
• 5. lack limbs
• 6. may have more than 200 vertebrae and pairs of ribs
• 7. upper jaws are movable, loosely connected to lower jaw
• 8. Narrowing of the body has resulted in: loss of left lung, displacement of
gallbladder, the right kidney, and often the gonads.
• 9. Most snakes are oviparous
• 10. However the New World boas, garter snakes give birth to live young.
Suborder Amphisbaenia- Worm Lizards

• Characteristics:
• 1. 135 species
• 2. specialized burrowers of soil in Africa
• 3. most are legless
• 4. skulls are wedge or shovel shaped
• 5. single median tooth in the upper jaw
• 6. skin has ring like folds
• 7. feed on worms and small insects
• 8. oviparous
 Order Crocodilia
• Characteristics:
• 1. 21 species
• 2. triangular eye openings for the eye openings
• 3. laterally compressed teeth
• 4. elongated snout
• 5. nostrils are at the tip of the snout
• 6. muscular, elongated tail that is laterally compressed tail for swimming
• 7. food is swallowed whole
• 8. the stomach is like a gizard, they swallow rocks and other objects to be
used in breaking apart food and digestion
• 9. oviparous, lay eggs outside body and build nests
 70-80 white, pointed
Alligator teeth of similar shape
 Alligator
• Length in wild
• 8-9" at birth
• typical old male 15', female about 10'
• largest recorded in Florida -- 17'5"
• Weight in wild
• varies among alligators and is not related to length
• largest males can weigh up to 1,000 pounds
• Body
• adults black
• young have vertical yellow bands until about 3-4 years old (see photo below
in "Young")
• Famous for the death roll. Grab the prey go down into the water and spin
until the prey drowns.
Crocodiles
 Crocodiles
• Size greatly varies between species, from the dwarf
crocodile to the saltwater crocodile. Species of
Palaeosuchus and Osteolaemus grow to an adult size of
just 1 metre (3.3 ft) to 1.5 metres (4.9 ft). Larger species
can reach over 4.85 metres (15.9 ft) long and weigh
well over 1,200 kilograms (2,600 lb). Crocodilians
show pronounced sexual dimorphism with males
growing much larger and more rapidly than females.
 Crocodiles
• Ambush Hunters: Crocodiles are ambush hunters,
waiting for fish or land animals to come close, then
rushing out to attack. As cold-blooded predators, they
can survive long periods without food, and rarely need
to actively go hunting. Known for having lock jaw.
Escape rarely happens.
• World's Largest Reptile: The largest species of
crocodile, also Earth's largest reptile, is the Saltwater
Crocodile, found in northern Australia and throughout
South-east Asia.
 Crocodile products

• Crocodile leather wallets from Bangkok Crocodile Farm

• Crocodile leather can be made into goods such as wallets, briefcases, purses,
handbags, belts, hats, and shoes.
• Crocodile meat is consumed in some countries, such as Australia, Ethiopia,
Thailand, South Africa and also Cuba (in pickled form); it can also be found
in specialty restaurants in some parts of the United States. The meat is white
and its nutritional composition compares favourably with that of other meats.
It tends to have a slightly higher cholesterol level than other meats. Crocodile
meat has a delicate flavour; some describe it as a cross between chicken and
crab. Cuts of meat include backstrap and tail fillet.
 Locomotion
• Unlike amphibians the reptile family can not breath
through their skin. Their skin serves no respiratory
function.
• Characteristics of Reptile Skin:
• Dry
• Thick
• Keratinized (hardened scales)
• Snakes use their scales to provide contact with
substrates (trees, grass, dirt) and create movement.
 Locomotion
• The periodic shedding of skin is called ecdysis. And
happens periodically. It usually starts at the head and
then moves down the body. Some shed complete skins
and others flake off in pieces.
• When a snake is going through this it is called opec
cycle. And the snake will have a blue hue to it.
• The epidermis is the outer layer and it has no blood
vessels and very few chromatophors or color pigments.
 Locomotion
• Most Reptiles walk on legs, others slither on the ground.
• Reptiles have a lot of mobility in their neck region. The atlas and
axis are the upper cervical vertebra in the neck.
• The ribs are closely associated with the leg or belly movements.
Muscle concentration is high here.
• In order to escape predators some lizards can go through autotomy,
loose their tail to get away and grow a new one.
• Prehistoric reptiles walked on their back two legs and this is called
being bipedal.
• Most reptiles today walk on all four legs. Knee and elbow joints
rotate posteriorly in most.
 Nutrition and Digestion
• Most Reptiles are Carnivores (eat meat)
• One exception are turtles who will eat just about anything.
• Some reptiles have a sticky tongue to help catch prey, and the
length of the tongue can be longer than the body of the reptile.
• Jaws of reptiles are loosely attached and often can be unhinged
to allow them to eat large prey. The upper jaw is called the
maxillary and the lower the mandible. Fangs are usually
associated with the maxillary bone.
• Inside the mouth of the snake they have a glottis which is a
respiratory opening that allows them to breath while eating.
 Nutrition and Digestion
• Some fangs are always in a straight or vertical position. Others
can be folded up and then unfolded when needed.
• Venom glands used to kill prey are actually modified sweat
glands. That venom is moved through the fang into the prey.
• Most of these cocktails contain neurotoxins (attacking the prey’s
nervous system) or Hemotoxins (which break up blood cells and
cause the victim to suffocate to death from the lack of oxygen to
the body cells.
 Body Temperature
• Reptiles are cold blooded.
• Reptiles and amphibians are very similar in this area.
• Reptiles have a higher blood pressure because blood
must be pumped at high speeds to reach all parts of the
body.
• Reptiles use their environment to help regulate their
temperature.
• The lack of breathing is called apnea. Turtles can not
breath when they go into their shells.
 Nervous and Sensory Functions of
Reptiles
• The reptiles cerebral hemisphere (a large portion of the
brain) is larger than that of the amphibian. The
increased size is believed to be associated with the
sense of smell capabilities of the reptile.
• Also the optic lobes (found in between the cerebrum
and the cerebellum) and cerebellum (found behind the
cerebrum) are enlarged. This helps with vision and
greater coordination of muscle functions.
Nervous and Sensory Functions of
Reptiles
 Nervous and Sensory Functions of
Reptiles
• Vision is the dominant sense in most reptiles.
• Some reptiles have an additional eye in the roof of the
forebrain. Page 403. This is called a median (parietal) eye.
It is covered with skin and is not known to be able to form
any images. It does help with the detection of light and dark
periods.
• Ears-
• Detect vibrations
• Lack a middle ear cavity, auditory tube, tympanic
membrane.
 Nervous and Sensory Functions of
Reptiles
• The jaw works with (articulates) with the stapes in the ear and
receives Substrate vibrations (vibrations from physical objects,
ground, etc).
• Snakes can also detect air vibrations.
Taste
• Jacobson’s organs (vomeronasal)- are pouhces that open
through the palate of the reptile. Turtles do not have these. Baby
crocodiles have this but adults do not. Snakes and lizards have
these and they work with their forked tongues to sample
chemicals in the air.
Jacobson’s Organs
 Nervous and Sensory Functions of
Reptiles
• Pit organs
• Rattlesnakes and other vipers have these heat sensitive
organs. They are located on each side fo the face
between the eye and nostril.
• They are used to detect temperature. Mostly they are
used to detect warm blooded prey at night.
• Anatomy of a snake.
• 1 esophagus,
• 2 trachea,
• 3 tracheal lungs,
• 4 rudimentary left lung,
• 5 right lung,
• 6 heart,
• 7 liver,
• 8 stomach,
• 9 air sac,
• 10 gallbladder,
• 11 pancreas,
• 12 spleen,
• 13 intestine,
• 14 testicles,
• 15 kidneys.
 Reproduction
• Structures-
• Gonads are the male reproductive structures that are
ducts designed to conduct sperm to the cloaca.
• Seminal receptacle- is a storage area in the female that
allows the female to store sperm until they are used.
This area will nourish the sperm. In some sperm is
stored for 4-6 years before being used.
 Reproduction
• Copulation- is the scientific word for mating.
• Fertilization- is when a sperm and egg unite to form a
zygote
• Courtship- any behavior that attracts a mate. They use
body language, sound, color, sight, smell.
• Tactile stimulation- the use of tail waving to attract or
acquire a mate.
• Sex pheromones- smells used to tell if the opposite sex
is ready to mate.
 Reproduction
• Vocalizations- sounds used during mating season to
attract a mate, or warn off predators.
• Nest- any area built by the reptile for the purpose of
rearing young. Most reptile nests are on the ground and
made of dirt and sticks.
• Parhenogenesis- is a form of asexual reproduction
found in females, where growth and development of
embryos occurs without fertilization by a male
 Reproduction
• Snake: 2 - 3 months, live birth and eggs, internal
fertilization

• Alligator-Offspring
• Alligator females will typically build a nest near water where she will deposit
30-50 eggs. She will bury the nest with vegetation and mud which raise 2-3
feet above ground level. She will guard the nest through the 60-day gestation
period and aid the hatchlings with breaking out of the nest. Hatchlings will
form social groups called "pods" and remain with the mother for up to a year
after birth.
 Reproduction
• Crocodiles-
• This species digs hole nests up to 50cm deep in sandy banks,
several metres from the water. These may be in close proximity
to other nests. Timing of nesting behaviour varies with
geographic location - it takes place during the dry season in the
north, but at the start of the rainy season further south, usually
from November through to the end of December. Females reach
sexual maturity around 2.6 m, males at around 3.1 m. Females
lay around 40 to 60 eggs in the nest, although this number is
quite variable between different populations. Females remain
near the nest at all times.
 Reproduction
• Incubation time averages 80 to 90 days (ranges from 70
to 100 days), after which females open the nest and
carry the juveniles to the water. Both males and females
have been reported to assist hatching by gently cracking
open eggs between their tongue and upper palate.
Hatchlings remain close to the juveniles for up to two
years after hatching, often forming a creche with other
females. As with many crocodilians, older juveniles tend
to stay away from older, more territorial animals.