Zoobot

1. Define each of the following terms:

operculum: the hard covering that covers and protects the gills of fish

ventricle: the part of the vertebrate heart that pumps blood

cerebellum: the part of the vertebrate brain the controls movement and coordination

oviparity: eggs are produced with a shell and laid outside of the body

viviparity: eggs are produced without a shell and are maintained within the body

ovoviviparity: eggs are produced with shells and maintained within the body

pulmonary circulation: circulation from the heart to the lungs and back

systemic circulation: circulation from the heart to the tissues/systems of the body and back

cutaneous respiration: exchange of gas through the skin

pulmonary respiration: exchange of gas through the lungs

ectothermic: cold blooded; unable to maintain a constant internal temperature—temperature the

same as that of the surrounding environment

endothermic: warm blooded; able to maintain a constant internal temperature

counter-current flow: blood flows toward the head and oxygen towards the gills

cloaca: external opening in certain vertebrates for reproduction and for eliminating wastes

autotomy: the ability of certain animals to re-grow their tail

sternum: the bone that is the attachment point of the flight muscles in birds

rumen: first chamber of the stomach of certain mammals that contain symbiotic bacteria that help

break down food

cecum: a chamber that branches from the small intestine of certain mammals that acts as a

fermentation chamber to help digest food

placenta: an organ in the reproduction system of mammalian females that serves as a junction box

to deliver gases and nutrients to the developing fetus and to remove wastes from the fetus

keratin: a protein that forms feathers of birds

down feathers: soft insulating feathers of birds

contour feathers: larger feathers that provide coloration and flight for birds

precocial young: young that come from eggs that incubate for a long time and upon hatching are

active right away and can feed themselves

altricial young: young that hatch from eggs and upon hatching are blind, naked, and can’t feed

themselves

incisors: flat teeth at the front of the mouth that are used to bite off chunks

canine teeth: sharp pointed teeth that are used for ripping, tearing, and or puncturing

molars: broad flat teeth that are used for grinding food

2. Members of the class Chondrichthyes have a skeleton made of what?

cartilage

3. Amphibians excrete nitrogenous wastes in what form? Why?

Urea; because it is less toxic

4. What is the function of the pit below a snake’s eyes?

It can detect heat

5. What organs exchange gases with the environment in fish? What is its other function?

Gills; they also help exchange ions and release waste

6. List the common names for each of the following classes:

Agnatha: lamprey and hagfish

Amphibia: frogs and salamanders

Aves: birds—hawks and chickens

Chondrichthyes: shark, rays and skates

Mammalia: lion and tigers and bears

Osteichthyes: bony fish—blue gill, perch, salmon

Reptilia: alligator, lizard, snakes

7. What are the characteristics of cartilaginous fish (class Chondrichthyes)?

Skeleton made of cartilage, placoid scales, gills slits or spiracles

8. What are the senses a shark uses to locate its prey?

Smell, sensing electric fields, sensing movement/vibrations

9. What is the function of the lateral line system?

Senses vibrations in the water

10. What are the characteristics of Aganthans? Differentiate between hagfish and lamprey.

Jawless fish, have gill slits instead of operculum, long narrow bodies. Hagfish are scavengers and lamprey are predators or parasites

11. What are three ways in which fish from Class Chondrichthyes get oxygen to the gills?

Open mouth and swim fast, pump it over their gills, draw water in through the spiracles

12. Why would some fish retain urea?

To keep them from losing water through osmosis

13. Describe rays and skates; include structure as well as behavior.

They are bottom dwellers, are diamond/kite shaped, they are scavengers, have spiracles

14. What is the difference between lobe-finned fish and ray-finned fish?

Lobed=fin with a central bone surrounded by flesh

Ray=thin rods/spikes connected by a membrane

15. Why do some amphibians exchange gases through the skin?

Their lungs are too small

16. Describe the circulatory system of amphibians.

Three chambered heart where there are two atria and one ventricle to oxygenated blood mixes with deoxygenated blood

17. What is the difference between frogs and toads?

Frogs=have smooth moist skin and are aquatic; Toads=have rough, bumpy skin and are terrestrial

18. Describe salamanders; include structure as well as behavior.

Elongated bodies with 4 legs and a tail; they move in an “S” shaped pattern; they are carnivorous and are active at night

19. Describe the skin of reptiles. How do they maintain a warm body temperature?

It is scaly and made of keratin. It must be molted. They maintain body temperature by warming in the sun

20. What are the differences between turtles and tortoises? Describe each.

Turtles are aquatic and have flatter shells; tortoises are terrestrial and have more rounded, humped shells

21. How are snakes able to consume food when they have no teeth?

They can dislocate their jaw in order to swallow food whole

22. How do birds get rid of nitrogenous wastes? What substance is excreted?

They eliminate waste as a mixture of feces and uric acid

23. What do the largest parts of a bird’s brain control?

Flight

24. Describes what happens to air from the moment it is inhaled by a bird until it is exhaled.

It goes down the trachea and most of it enters the posterior air sacs, some of it goes to the lungs where it diffuses into the blood. After circulating, carbon dioxide goes to the lungs where most of it is stored in the anterior air sacs and some of it diffuses out into the lungs

25. Why do mammals have difficulty digesting plants? What are three things enable them to do so anyway?

Plants contain cellulose which no mammal has the enzymes to break down. 1. They have symbiotic bacteria that help them break it down 2. Some have a rumen to digest and regurgitate 3. Some have a cecum that acts as a fermentation chamber.

26. Describe how gases and nutrients are exchanged in a mammal from mother to offspring in the uterus.

They diffuse from the mother’s blood into the placenta and from the placenta into the fetus. Wastes from the fetus diffuse into the placenta and into the mother’s blood

27. How do mammals generate and maintain internal heat?

By breaking down food and releasing the energy as heat

28. Describe the features of a bird’s skeleton that enable it to fly. What physiological traits of a bird enable them to fly?

It is light weight, hollow, and thin-walled, many of the bones are fused.

They have a rapid heart beat and consume large amounts of food. They have air sacs that constantly supply oxygen for respiration to produce energy to fly

29. Do birds have an excretory system? How does it perform its function?

No. wastes are removed through the digestive system in a mixture of feces and uric acid

30. In birds, is oxygenated blood separated from deoxygenated blood? If so how?

Yes, they have a 4 chambered heart and a septum separates deoxygenated blood from oxygenated blood

31. What part of the brain controls complex behaviors such as migration and nesting?

Cerebrum

32. What type of bird might have eyes located at the front of the head?

Birds of prey

33. Why do mammals eat 10 times as much food as reptiles of the same size?

They need the energy to maintain strenuous activity for long periods of time; they need the energy to maintain a constant internal temperature

34. Describe the structure of a bird’s feather. What are two functions?

It has a central vane with barbs on the sides each held together by hooks called barbules

1. Aid in flight 2. Hold in heat

35. Where does gas exchange occur in birds? In mammals what are the specific structures?

In the lungs; in mammals the lungs are composed of sacs called alveoli

36. What external structures of a bird indicate where it lives and how it feeds?

Beak and feet

37. How does the muscular system of a mammal help the respiratory system to breath?

Intercostal muscles in the rib cage help to expand the chest cavity. The diaphragm contracts and relaxes to control the volume of the chest cavity

38. Why does the heart of a bird beat so fast?

It beats fast to circulate oxygen for respiration so that it can produce the energy necessary for flight

39. List 5 methods birds use to navigate during migration.

Heavenly bodies, low frequency sounds, landmarks, changes in pressure, Earth’s magnetic field

40. What are 6 characteristics of mammals that are common only to them?

Mammory glands, fur/hair, completely divided heart, jaw bone consists of a single bone, endothermic, have specialized teeth

41. Explain two features/adaptations that enable fish to be buoyant in water.

They have a swim bladder, they store lipids

42. Would an alligator chase you from 50m away? Why or why not ( be very detailed)?

No; because of its low metabolism, it would run out of energy before it caught up to you

43. List the 3 characteristics of vertebrates that make them different from other animals.

They have vertebrae, they have a dorsal nerve cord, endoskeleton, they all have a cranium

44. Know the common name and two characteristics for each type of bird and mammal.