Exotic Animal Integument

ferret colour

Mouse , rat and gerbil official coat colour

Agouti

Chinchilla official coloure

blue grey

Ferret sweat glands?

none

Sweat glands rat

feet only

Ferret coat

• short undercoat + long course gaurd hairs

• skin = thick + sebaceous glands.. so very oily + strong smell..

• NO skin sweat glands.. Prone too overheating

• seasonal moults - coat thins + lightens in the spring…

What is the rabbits coat

Fur long and short gaurd hairs.. NO fur on feed 0 therefore feet are vulnerable to the ground..

Large ears for thermoregulation…

Scent glands = submental anal and inguinal

What is dewlap…

A fat pouch under the body, used too store fat before they give birth

can be a risk factor and makes the rabbits over weight..

What are some breed diposition issues of some common rabbit breeds…

• Rex = short gaurd hairs - hock sores

• Angora = Longer undercoat, therefore the coat will matt

• GIANT BREEDS — > Skin fold dermatitsm pododermatitis…

• Lops = Deformed ear canals, ear infections + ectropian…

• Brachycephallic breeds are NOT a breed BUT BUT BUT certian rabbits will have breathing difficultites..

Where is the common sebaceous glands found on a guinie pig….

1 cm dorsal to anus…

OFten matted _ sticky in makes 0 IT IS NORMAL…

Normal skin variations in the guinea pig..

Thick foot pads - prone to urine scald + bumble food…

HAIRLESS areas behind ears….

What are the significance of chinchillas..

• Dense soft coat - 60 hairs/ follicule

• needs regular dust baths..

• can have a FUR SLIP defence..

• ears have a large bald patch..

What is hamster skin...

• VERY loose skin which stretches…

• Large flank + ventral sweat glands..

• Glands are more prominenat in MATURE males..

Skin significanve in rates..

• Zymbals glands at base of ear…

• Tail = HAIRLESS surface… Thermoregulation..

• Tail Slip…

• Extensive mammary tissue

• females = visible nipples

Where is the gerbil scent gland…

• CAre tail slip + ventral scnet gland…

Sugar Gliders

• Marsupial so females have a pouch + 4 teats…

• CLoaca to an external orogice..

• Scent glands = forehead makes + througt and paracloacal..

• Makes = pendulous scrotum..

What is a patagium sugar glider..

• patagium stretching, front an hind legs like a mini prarchute..

What do we need to know about African Pygmy hedgehog..

• hair and sebaceous glands absent inthe spiny skin, many sweat and sebaceous glands in haired skin and feet + can get bumble foot

Reptile Skin

• Dry skin + FEW galnds

• femoral + pre cloacal pores..

The reptile skin:

• display, protection, camougflage, thermoregulation, fluid homeostasis,

• ALL reptiles = specific enviroment..

Difference between grass snake and bearded dragon

• Grass Snakes —> Shed wHOLE body+

• Bearded dragon —→ Spines for protection + will loose skin bit by bit

BOTH NEED A ROUGH SURFACE TOO RUB AGSINT..

Where is the dewlap in the green the iguana

What is the significant of reptile dermis

• contains pigment cells nerve and vessles

• Has OSTERODERMS (skin in order to make bony plates)

• + chelionshell is mafe from approx 60 osteroderms… Shell = keratin nerves bones.. shelll —> /bone..

What is the significance of reptile skin colour…

Chromatophores = pigment containing cells (between dermis and epidermi

• Influence by aytonomic nervous system, hormones light and temperature

• used in camoflauge, display an dthermoregulation

PIGMENTS…

3 pigments that influence reptiel skin…

• Chromotaphores - pigment containing cells.

• lie between dermis and epidermi s

• influenced by autonomic nervous system, hormonse ligth and temperature

What is the parietal eye…

3rd eye.. .connectedwith the pineal gland + thermoregulation and hormone production… isially on top pof head..

3 additonal adpations of reptile skin….

HEat sensory pits 0 in baos pythons and bvipers

Crests frills hrorns and gular pouches and spines,, used for display and or defence..

spectacles - clear scales over skies over some geckos..

3 additional adaptiosns of reptile skin…

• cloacal spurs….

• * Rattles for loosly fitting keratin

• Adhesive toe pads… - rows of tine overlapping lamellae… tiny branchig hairs..

How to tell if a snake is venemous…

• look downwards form the anal scales… IF a line down the midddl enon venomous no difference form the anal scales = veneomous…

Chelonian Shell

• Carapace dorsally and flattened plastorn

• osteoferms are fused + covered by epidermal scutes

• osteoderms and scutes do NOT overlap…

• scutes can show additon of new keratin…

Key points of Ecdysis…

• shedding of skin under thyroud glands..

• snakes and geckos shed whole skin…

• Geckos will eat skin…

• chelonians only shed legs tail and neck skin + aqauatic chelonia shefd INDIVIDUAL scutes

What are the stages of Ecdysis..

• stratum intermediate - 3 layer epidermis

• Lymph and enxymes diffuse + form a cleavafe zone

• old skin is then shed, new skin hardens…

What happens to the skin during ecdysis…

• DUring ecdysis skin becoms more permeable and vulnerable to parasites…

• Absorption of topical medicines can be enriched..

• SNAKES = 2 stage ecdysis … blue white discolouration… + snakes = aggressive + skittish..

Ecdysis conditions required..

• Increased humidirty

• Rough object rub object…

• failure to humidity makes this difficult

What is the amphibian skin adaptions…

• wholly or partially reliant on water..

• Integument is very importnat for proetctions, sensory thermorefulation and fluid balance…Damage or disease = serious + life threatening…

• Skin = VERY PERMEAVLE>.

• Loos attatchement of dermis

• many amphibians shed and eat skin on a regular basis

What are skin adaptions of Amphibian…

• Anurans drunking patch/ pelvic patch..

• galnds in the epidermis… produce mucous + waxy substances…

• Galnds also producuce chemicals serve to prtect aggainst predators and infection..

How do frogs produce toxins..

• poison arrow frogs = potent toxins

• tocins = metabolised from their wild prey… captive contain litte if any toxins..

• fire salamanders.. spray dorsal glands…

Examples of amphibian examples…

• poision arrow frog s= tightly covered skin

• vietnamese mossy frogs skin..

• slimy salamander = thick skin too deter predators

What is the permeability of frog amphibian culture,…

• use to apminister topical medications by shalllow water bathig….

• even trace amounts of envrioemental toxins.. can cause illness and death

What are the adaptions of fish skin…

• semi water proof to mainain fluid and salt balance…

• Marine vs freshwater fish = different adaptions to cope

• skin = epidermal cells + scales covered by a protective outer cuticel…

• + club cells serete alarm substances..

• breeding ubercles in males.

3 things that make fish skin unique..

• epidermal cells = can cell divide…

• specialised derivatiees inc spines, stings, bony plates _ lateral line system

• FINS = modified structures of skin, aid locomotion + balance

Fish fins labelled