Reptile Essays

Sexual Selection in Reptiles Turtles, crocodilians, tuataras and squamates, which include the diverse forms of lizards and snakes, are included in the group called Reptilia (Townsend et al., 2004). They are ectoderms and their sexual behavior and mating characteristics have been widely studied and many theories and interesting features have been documented over the years (Martin, 1994; Shine 2003). According to Uller and Olsson (2008) the reptiles have a unique characteristic regarding their sexual

Introduction – Mammals are the dominant large unique group of animals having a number of morphological and physiological characteristics. They evolved from a group of reptiles called the synapsids. These reptiles arose during the Pennsylvanian Period (310 to 275 million years ago). A branch of the synapsids called the therapsids appeared by the middle of the Permian Period (275 to 225 million years ago). It was over millions of years that some of these therapsids evolved unique mammalian features

King Cobra V.S. Rattlesnake Wow,they are so alike and different! Have you ever thought about a king cobra and a rattlesnake? Like how they these two amazing reptiles are alike and different. These two reptiles have traits that are similar and different. This is how their traits are similar. They both shed their skin. Shedding skin is when a snake’s old skin peel off, and they get new skin. Also they both have thick bodies with keeled (colorful) skin. Here is how they are different. A king cobra

similar to the modern iguana, but twenty times larger, and proposed that they were from a rather large, ancient reptile. When shown to Buckland, he initially insisted that the Iguanodon teeth belonged to a fish rather than reptile. Then when Mantell presented the teeth to a renowned paleontologist in Paris, he was rather embarrassingly informed that they belonged not to a 60 foot Mesozoic reptile, but a rhinoceros. Although the paleontologist changed his mind the next morning and agreed that they did

labored breathing. A study done by Warwick (1990) evaluates reptiles in captivity for abnormal behaviors. The subjects of the study consisted of over 4000 captive reptiles from zoos and homes. The methods of the study were based on observation and experiments over a 12 year time span. The researcher’s study found that some problematic behaviors were common amongst the captive reptiles. One problem shown in some of the captive reptiles was hyperactivity. Hyperactivity in turtles is characterized

brumation, characterised by a slowed metabolism and reduced activity. CA king snakes ar opportunist feeders, feeding on nearly any vertebrate they 're going to constrict, while all family do. Common food things embrace rodents, totally different reptiles, birds, and amphibians. All king snakes ar non-venomous, but ar powerful constrictors and typically kill their prey through suffocation. The "king" in their name refers to their propensity to hunt and consume totally different snakes, still as venomous

The Plesiosaur is a large reptile, that became extinct 65 million years ago. The Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, is a mythical creature first discovered 86 years ago. Nessie being a species that died 65 million years ago… It doesn’t make any sense. With minimal research, you can find that there is a lot of facts to prove that Nessie is not a plesiosaur. If Nessie was a plesiosaur, we would be able to see her, we would find evidence like bones, and plesiosaurs can’t even live in Loch Ness. We

focus of this essay is to describe the evolutionary history of turtles and why the clade has historically been difficult to place phylogenetically. Turtles are reptiles characterised by their bone/cartilaginous shell development and are of the order testudines which includes both living and extinct species. Turtles are one of the oldest reptile groups with the earliest members dating 150 million years ago. (Hutchinson, 1996 and Walter, 2007). The order testudines is a monophyletic clade which contains

turtles hard shell preserve very well which makes their remains very hard to distinguish. I hope you enjoy my turtle evolution research essay. Turtles are reptiles of the order testudines. They have a bony or cartilage hard shell that is used as a shield for protection against other predators. They are one of the oldest and ancient reptile groups topping snakes and crocodiles. Another adaptation is that they are able to pull themselves into their shells. Their shells are also very good camouflage

Just like their relatives, our modern day reptiles, dinosaurs were long thought to be poikilothermic ectotherms. Like reptiles, many believe that dinosaurs were slow, sluggish and unable to regulate and maintain a homeostatic body temperature internally, by themselves, as endotherms are able to. Endotherms regulate body temperature internally with their metabolism. When compared to ectotherms, endotherm cells possess a larger number of Mitochondria within each cell. Mitochondria are like the power

The Evolution of the Crocodile The crocodile, known for its dominance in the realm of water, wasn’t always necessarily known for having the upper hand in water as it has of recent. In fact, it actually roamed the terrestrial realm of the world, dating all the way back to the Jurassic period and beyond, somewhere near 250 million years ago. The crocodile, over time, has not had very many drastic changes over time, causing its evolution to have quite subtle changes. The earliest ancestor of the

The Komodo dragon has become the biggest lizard in the world. It is an ancient species of reptile with ancestors who have lived from more than 100 million years ago. These huge lizards have stumpy, curved legs. They are great in camouflaging since they have clay-coloured, scaly skin. Their huge, muscular tails are also fascinating. Komodo dragons are individual animals for they hunt and live alone. Though almost all lizards are omnivores, Komodo dragons eat meat. Komodo dragons use their tongue to

The green turtle is one of the largest of the sea turtle species and the only species that are herbivores, they mostly eat seagrasses, algae and mangroves but they also eat fish and their eggs, jellyfish, sponges and various shellfish. They are named the green turtle because of the colour of their cartilage and fat not the colour of their shell, their shell has dark grey and yellow colouring. Apart from the females the come to the shore to lay eggs, sea turtles spend most of their lives underwater

*The order Chelonia includes tortoises, terrapins and turtles. *They are described as ‘reptiles in boxes’ as their body is enclosed in box like dorsal carapace and ventral plastron. *Chelonians are believed to be the direct descendants of primitive cotylosaurs.

are the many features and advantages that they have. The Komodo dragon is a powerful lizard with a dangerous bite and skin with scales that are rough and bony to protect them. The Komodo dragon is a massive and scary predator. It is a dangerous reptile, so if you ever run into one LEAVE IT \ALONE!!! This is why they're one of the most feared predators and they are very interesting. Family and Appearance The Komodo dragon faces many different challenges in its life. The Komodo dragon begins its

The archelon swam around Earth 75 million years ago and ruled the sea. In fact, they were the largest turtles ever, according to paleontologists. A 12 foot long turtle, and yet they were very gentle. They were a fascinating prehistoric reptile that swam around Earth in the late Cretaceous period with fossils that are found throughout some of the states in the U.S. The archelon was a powerful, but a majestic creature from its time. They have a shell that you wouldn’t see on a regular turtle you find

Lau_R1_Frilled Neck Lizard Introduction of Frilled-neck lizard Frilled Neck Lizard is a type of animal from the Iguania (reptile) family. They are a type of lizard which is usually found in northern Australia and southern Australia. The scientific name of Frilled-neck lizard is Chlamydosaurus kingii. Frilled-Neck lizard are between 70 to 95 cm long. They are very similar to normal lizards. The big difference between is that Frill-neck lizard has a large frill around its neck which is usually

realize the long-term implications," says Marie Strasburger, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Washington, D.C. Just picking up fishing line, she adds, would mean vast benefits for the environment - not just in sparing birds and reptiles unnecessary suffering - but in cleaning up our waters and shorelines. Wildlife experts have to deal with the animals. it has led to the death of lots of animals, and sometimes amputated limbs.This not the only thing that kills sea turtles.

Snakes Slithering into Poetry Snakes are known for their intelligence and intense protective personality. They work hard to capture prey, protect themselves, and not stand for any nonsense. Centralized on the struggle of a waitress, “Ella, In a Square Apron, Along Highway 80” by Judy Grahn, compares the tough lifestyle of a protective single mother to that of a protective snake in the wilderness with analogies and free verse style. The poem tells a heart-wrenching story of a hardworking mother trying

The coral snakes are separated into two divisions: Old World coral snakes which are found in Asia, and New World coral snakes found in the americas. The Old World coral snakes are divided into three genera: Calliophis, Hemibungarus, and Sinomicrusus. The New World coral snakes are also divided into 3 genera: Leptomicrurus, Micruroides and Micrusus.(1) The Texas Coral Snake (Micrurus tener), lives in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV), and it is because the Valley is one of their habitat regions , I will