Herpetology Exam 3

What order do turtles fall under

Testudines

Where are turtles found in the glboe

anywhere as long as its not to cold

What is a description of turtles

1. reptile tanks

2. armored shell of carapace (on top) and plastron (on bottom)

3. capable of retracting heads and limbs into the shell

4. lack teeth, have a keratinous sheath beak instead

5. extremely flexible neck

What are the two suborders turtles are split into

1. Pleurodira (side neck turlte)

2. Cryptodira (hidden neck turtle)

What are traits of the side neck turtles

1. move thier heads by laying it to the side

2. anterior carapace hangs over the head for protection

3. Vertebrates are spool-shaped to allow for great horizontal head movement

What are traits of Cryptodira

1. Retract the head by pulling neck into the shoulder girdle

2. Vertebrae are flattened and can be stacked, allowing for more vertical head movement

What is a marine aquatic ecomorph 

1. a marine turtle that lives solely in the ocean

2. flattened streamlined shell, allowing easy crush but better swimming

3. Forelimbs are large flippers

4. Hindlimbs are heavily weeded

What is a Freshwater semi-aquatic ecomorph

1. turtles that spend most time in fresh water but do leave water for land

2. webbing on both back and fore limbs

3. streamlined shell

4. The bigger the shell, the harder it is to crush it

What is a Mainland terrestrial ecomorph

1. turtle spends all its time on land

2. The bigger the shell the easier it is to crush

3. no webbing on the toes

What is an Island terrestrial ecomorph

1. turtle spends all its time on island

2. have huge doming b/c no predators

3. no webbing

What are the types of turtle movements

1. terrestrial walk": works in a 4-3-2-3-4 feet on the ground movement

2. semiaquatic movement: diagonal limbs move together in a paddle motion

3. marine swimming: front flippers flap in a figure 8 pattern and move up and down

What are the types of feeding turtles can have

1. herbivore

2. carnivores

3. omnivore

What is unique about turtles and their feeding habits

They are all opportunistic and will eat things they don’t normally eat

What turtles are herbivores

1. Green sea turtles

2. most other tortoises

What species are Carnivores in turtles

1. alligator snapping turtle

2. snake necked turtles

What turtles are omnivores

1. most all other turtles not herbivores or carnivores

2. painted turtle

3. common snapping turtle

What methods do turtles use to obtain food

1. active foraging: use energy to search for prey, high energy to search, low energy to capture

2. ambush foraging: wait for prey to come to you, little energy output overall

How long do turtles live for

dependents but

1. most turtles 30+

2. sea turtles 60-70+

3. tortoises 100-250+

What is the problem with long life spans in turtles

creates longer times for sexual maturity

What are the steps in turtle mating

1. potential mate recongition

2. courtship rituals through visual, tactile, chemical, or auditory signals

3. mounting

What is Potential mate reconition

where the male turtle looks for things with the shape and color of a female turtle

What are some courting rituals turtles do

1. nudging/rubbing

2. titillation (foreclaw display)

3. head movement/bobbing

4. biting

5. nasal squirting

6. chemical signals

7. auditory signals

8. shell clapping

How can a turtle mount

1. hold on with all four limbs

2. hang on with the front two limbs

How does fertilization happen in turtles

internal as the male’s penis is inserted into female’s cloaca

Where does fertilization of the egg take place in female turtles

happens in the upper region of the oviduct before the shell is deposite

What can female turtles do with sperm

they can use it immediately or store it for later use

How do turtle lay eggs

oviparous

Where to turtles lay their egg

They lay them in a flask-shaped nest that they dig out with their shovel like webbed feet

What is the problem with nest laying for turtles

it has to be perfect cause the eggs are susceptible to predation, flooding, extreme temperatures and most nest have high failure rates

What is Embryonic diapause

when the embryo stops all development and waits until conditions are right to continue to grow seen in snake headed turtles

Do turtles have parental care

It’s very rare in turtles like the mud turtle, with only 1% of species showing it, and they just guard the nest

What is temperature Dependent Sex

Turtle gender is determined by the temperature at which the egg is incubated at during its 2nd trimester

what two examples of Temperature Depdent Sex is seen in turtles

1. Hot = female,  cold = males

2. hot and cold = females, medium temp = male

What must juveniles do when hatched for turtles

they must dig out of their nest, then rush for shelter

What are some predator avoidance turtles use

1. crypsis

2. escape approach

3. threat display

4. tuck into their shell

5. clawing/biting

What is the conservation status of turtles and why

50% are threatened or worse, and 9 have gone extinct. caused by habitat loss, fragmentation, nest destruction, pollution, road mortality, human exploitation, and fishing gear mortality

Where do crocodiles occur

in worldwide humid lowlands with freshwater, and some living in saltwater

What are common descriptions of crocodiles

1. robust skulls with minimal articulations

2. long snouts

3. strong conical teeth

4. short necks with robust trunks

5. short strong legs

6. thick latteraly compressed tail

7. osteoderms and thick keratinous skin

8. have Gastralia

How do crocodiles move 

1. sprawling walk: belly crawl, used for little energy usage

2. high walk: Lift their body off the ground and limbs under them

3. terrestrial locomotion: running or galloping

4. Aquatic locomotion: use their tail as propulsion, moves in an S shape with limbs to the side, with webbed toes allowing positioning

5. diving: crocs need to surface every 20-30 minutes normally but can extend that period with low metabolism and will consume stones (gastroliths) to increase their body density

What are crocodile diets

they are carnivores and eat fish, mammals, reptiles, birds, anything they can eat and are usually specialized based on their snout type 

Difference between short snouts and long snouts in crocs

short snouts are more generalized species while long snouts are more specialized specie

Why do crocs attack humans

1. protection of the nest

2. hungry

3. defense from being captured

4. misidenified

How do crocs feed

1. active foraging

2. ambush foraging

What do crocs use to find thier food

1. visual cues: dorsal eyes to see above water and have nictitating membranes for underwater

2. tactile cues: have high sensitive pressure receptors

3. chemical cues: have some olfaction and vomeronasal usage of smell

How do crocs kill thier prey

1. attack with swift speed

2. drown big animals or strike small animals

3. chunks ripped off prey

4. eaten through inertial feeding

What is baiting/tool usage mean for crocs

it means some crocs have been seen to balance sticks on their heads to represent wood and get closer to prey

What do croc hatclings eat

they eat small insects and amphibians and eggs by themselves

What should be known about croc reproduction and lifepspan is that

1. have a long sexual maturity 8-15 years based on environmental factors

2. long lifespans 25-75 years

3. There tends to be sexual dimorphism in croc species

What is territoriality and why do crocs do it

its the territory a croc will defend because it increases their reproductive chances

What are some displays a croc uses to defend territory

1. chasing

2. bellowing

3. hissing

4. snout slapping

5. mouth gapping

What are courtship rituals crocs use

the male for most species attrracts the female by

1. bellowing

2. hissing

3. snout slapping

4. nariel geysering

5. arched postures

6. poily musk

7. bubble blowing

What will female crocs do to show interest in a male

1. bellow

2. approach him

3. rub his snout

4. lifts her head in the air for submissiveness

What is mounting in crocs and what does it intail

the male climbs onto the female’s back in the water, where the male with protrudes his penis to insert into the female’s cloaca

What kind of fertilization do crocs have and where does it happen in the female

its internal fertilization and the eggs get fertilized in the upper oviducts which occurs 3 weeks after mating

What is parthenogensis

Its asexual reproduction where a mom produces all female daughter clones, other times not if the mom is polyploid, can happen due to lack of males and poor environment or just beacuse

How do crocs lay thier eggs and where do they

crocs are oviparous and lay their eggs in the nest they build or dug which can be solitary seen in vegetation, or grouped seen in sand

how are the eggs incubated for crocs

they need exothermic reactions from the sun and decomposing vegetation

what cause nest failures in crocodiles

1.mammals

2. reptiles

3. poor temeprature

4. poor moisture levels

How is sex determined for crocs

they are temperature-dependent sex determinsation (TSD)

What temps produce what gender in crocs

In most cases

1. 30 degrees C or less make females

2. 31 degrees C make both sexes

3. 32-33 degrees C makes males’

4. temps above 33 can make males, or make females depending on the species

Do crocs have parental care

1. some species show nest guarding from either sex,

2. others show excavating the nest and moving the hatchlings

3. some will guard the young

How do crocs advoid predators

1. crypsis

2. escape approach

3. threat display

4. epidermal sclaes/osteoderms

5. biting

What are predators of crocodiles

1. large cats

2. large constrictor snakes

3. hippos and elephants

4. sharks

5. other crocodiles

6. humans

Why do humans kill crocodiles

1. food

2. leather

3. traditional medicines

4. modern medicine research

5. public safety

What is the conservation statis of crocs

about 50% are endangered or worse and are declining because of habitat loss/fragmentation, human killing, pollution, and invasive plant species

Where do tuatara occur

in islands of the coast of New Zealand

What are common descriptions of tuataras

1. lizard like

2. have a gastralia

3. spines on the head and neck

4. no external ear opening or tympanum

5. nocturnal

6. love colder temperatures

What kind of movement do tuataras have

they have Diagonal gait

What do tuataras eat

they eats bugs, birds, eggs, small amphibians

What is the problem with turtara teeth

they have acrodont teeth, which are fused with the jaw and can not regrow back

How do tuataras hunt for food

they use active foraging or ambush foraging methods

what senses do tuataras use to hunt for food

they use mostly sight with some olfactory senses

How do tuatuars actually capture their food

they use tongue projection or jaw prehension

How are tuatara teeth lined up in thier mouth

They have two lines of teeth on their upper jaw and one line of teeth in their lower jaw, along with some wedge-like front teeth to hold onto prey

What is the common lifespan and growth of a tuatara

they can live 60-100 years and take 10-20 years to become sexually mature

What forms of sexual dimorphism are present in tuatars

1. larger body males

2. larger spikes in males

3. narrower abdomen in males

Who displays territoriality in tuatars

both males and females will display territoriality

What will tuataras do to show territoriality

1. inflate body

2. head shake

3. mouth gapping

4. chasing

5. biting

When do tuatars start courting

January-March in the dark

What do male tuataras do to impress a female

1. inflate the body

2. stand tall

3. erect the dorsal crest

4. darken their skin

5. grunt

6. Stolzer gang (a proud strut like walk)

What will female tuatars do to show interest in males

she will leave her den and approach him

What kind of fertilization happens in tuatars

internal and females can hold the sperm up to a year

how often are male and female tuataras mating

males mate every year

females mate every 2-5 years

What kind of nesting do tuataras have

Females dig a burrow and lay their eggs in their and they tend to have open sites facing the sun

Is there parental care for tautaras

No

What must juvenile tuataras do

They must hatch and leave the nest to find food and protection

What TDS is seen in tuatars

in 21 degrees, a 1:1 female-male ratio occurs

in 20 degrees, mostly females

in 22 degrees mostly males

What are some predators of tuataras

1. large birds of prey

2. other tuataras

3. rats

4. dogs, cats, humans

Tuatara predator avoidance types

1. tail autotomy

2. hiding in burrows

What is the conservation statis of tuatars

they are of Least Concern (LC)

What causes threats in tuataras

1. introduced mammals

2. low genetic diversity/bottlenecking

3. global warming

4. habitat loss

5. poaching