What Is The Cope's Arboral Alligator Lizards?

Florida has more introduced species of reptiles and amphibians in the wild than anywhere else in the world, causing the native populations to become unbalanced (University of Florida, 2012).

The american alligator are mainly found in the United States, North Carolina, to Rio Grande in Texas. They eat fish, turtles, various mammals, birds, and other reptiles. The american alligator are mostly found in freshwater, slow and easy rivers, swamps, marshes, and lakes. Their prey is fish, turtles, snakes, and small mammals. Their predators are bobcats and raccoons. Clearly, this is the american alligator's habitat and diet.

The Santo Stefano Lizard, Podsrcis Sicula Sanctistephani, went extinct in 1965. The Santo Stefano Lizard lives on Santo Stefano Island and is also a Mediterranean type. The lizard likes being near a lot of water. The species ranged out to Italy, South Of Alphs, Sicily, Saradinia, and many other islands. The lizard has been introduced to a number of sites in the United States, Libya, And Tunisia (broom02.revolvy.com). The Santo Stefano Lizard lives on Santo Stefano which is a very small island near Ventotene and its off the west coast of Italy. A feral cat and snakes killed off most of the population.

Humans have caused another extinction, one that could possibly take us down in the process, species are exponentially going extinct because of habitat loss, species exportation, and invasive species bullying native species. On the other hand, scientists are trying to safe guard native species, keep animals in captivity whether it be for the animals well-being or for research, and widespread invasion. In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting “What Everglades Pythons and Other Invasive Species are Trying to Tell Us,” by Julia Whitty and “The Sixth Extinction,” by Jeff Corwin.

Adaptive radiation of different organisms have occurred throughout geological time through the filling of ecological niches. Organisms different from one another are capable of radiating greatly, as they evolve traits that allow them to thrive better in their environment. The Anolis lizards of the Caribbean islands are a great example of a single genus to have radiated not once, but multiple times through very similar mechanisms. Different populations of the Anolis phenotypically vary in their morphological traits to facilitate adaptation to particular niches. These phenotypic variations have evolved in convergence in more than one occasion, as recently discovered fossil specimens show similar patterns in morphology to modern Anolis.

The American Alligator is also covered in an armor like coat called osteoderms or scutes. They have short legs with five toes on the front legs and four in the hind legs. The front toes are about half webbed and the outer hind toes are about two thirds webbed which allows them to swim with ease. The majority of all American Alligators are black or a dull gray with some lighter blotches on the sides and a light yellow underbelly. One of the most important features of the America Alligator is its muscular tail. Their tail is used to propel them out of the water, to swim fast, and to death

The alligator is one of the largest living reptiles today. In North America, they inhabit freshwater swamps or wetlands in the south, from Texas to North Carolina. Distinguishing features include the fourth mandibular tooth, the long, broad snout, and the thick, scaly skin. Like some other reptiles, alligators have temperature-dependent sex determination, which is a non-genetic way of determining the sex ratio of offspring produced. Unlike other reptiles, alligators exhibit parental care; they nest-guard, and even offer evidence of maternal care for juveniles after hatching. Through the reviewing of multiple experiments conducted on Alligator mississippiensis, evidence is provided for the temperature-dependent mode of sexing and maternal

As it thrashes its body from side to side, it creates a small hole filled with water. Plant matter and mud piled up around the edges of the hole create dry ground on which other plants eventually grow. After many years, grass, trees, and other plants surround these "gator holes" like fences. Gator holes are important to other species as well. As the water becomes scarce during the dry season, many animals search for food and remaining pockets of water. The gator holes attract crayfish, frogs, turtles, fish, and other aquatic species, all seeking refuge in the deeper waters of the gator holes. Muskrats, otters, deer, and raccoons, as well as a wide variety of beautiful birds, such as ibises, egrets, and herons, visit these sanctuaries to feed on the small animals that can be found there. Because alligators and the watery hollows they make play such an important role in the Everglades ecosystem, they are considered to be a keystone species since many other species depend upon them for their survival. This has earned them the nickname "keepers of the glades."

The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is one of the largest snakes in the world, measuring up to 5.74 meters long and weighing up to 182.8 kilograms. The species is native to southeast Asia and in its native habitat, consumes a wide array of prey including many different mammal, amphibian, lizard, snake, bird, and fish species (Snow et al. 2007). In southern Florida, pythons have established themselves across thousands of square kilometers including all of Everglades National Park (Boback et al. 2016). Research points to multiple instances of pet release to be the cause of their introduction to the Everglades as a foreign species (Snow et al. 2007). Python populations have significantly increased in both abundance and geographic range in the Everglades since their introduction, preying on a wide variety of native mammals and birds, posing a serious problem as an invasive species and apex predator (Dorcas et al. 2012).

During their vacation, a family traveled to the Everglades to enjoy and relax in nature, but their trip was interrupted by a 20 feet long snake. It sounds very frightening, as well as uncommon. However, any person that visits the Florida Everglades has a very good change of encountering a snake like that one, called Burmese pythons. Their population in this natural area has increased tremendously because humans adopt them as pets when they’re young and later release them into the Everglades. The presence of the Burmese pythons is having a large effect on the Everglades because they are killing local animals, endangering its ecosystem, and outing people in danger.

Native to Southeast Asia, Burmese pythons were first observed in the Florida Everglades in the 1980s. Since then, the large reptiles have been spotted in the Florida Keys, an area in which they had not previously been seen. As shown in the Everglades, the pythons can devastate native ecosystems, causing an imbalance in the natural predator-prey relationship between organisms. This is particularly troubling for the Everglades and the Keys as Burmese pythons have now assumed the spot of top predator in the region, devastating small mammal and native snake populations. It is important to address the invasion of this voracious species in the Florida Keys as well as continue eradication efforts in the Everglades before the indigenous population is completely destroyed.

Many of its marshes, cypresses, and mangroves cover the majority of the wetland and an estimated number of 50 reptile species and 40 mammal species currently residing are either endangered, or worse, threatened for extinction. The Florida Panther, according to the National Park Service, has a successful breeding population; nonetheless, the “primary threats to the remaining population are habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation” (para. 2). Due to the ongoing urban development, the panther became a well-known endangered human threat. An estimated 80-120 panthers are surviving

This exceptionally charismatic megafauna has become synonymous with Florida along with “snowbirds”, orange juice, and Mickey Mouse but the Florida manatee may not be as permanent as its counterparts. Since being declared as endangered, the Florida manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, has been at the center of conservation efforts throughout the east coast of the United States. While human involvement has been at the crux of the increasing population, it can be argued that the best way to save this species is by taking humans out of the picture altogether.

be able to be found here. Listen for the sinister rattling sounds of timber rattlesnakes when walking to avoid angering one and getting bit. Alligators can be seen swimming through the marshy swamp lands. Gators are seen sitting on strips of muddy land in the middle of the water guarding eggs from predators. Animals the alligators have to

The New Caledonian Crested Gecko is one of the most sought out reptiles in the herptoculture hobby today. This medium-sized gecko has all the qualities of what to expect of a pet lizard. They combine their sheer beauty and low maintenance and docile tempers, making it an all around great pet to own (Rhacodactylus, p. 16). In the herpetological society, the crested gecko’s popularity has grown above hobbyist, into the hands of many first time pet owners, giving a first time experience made easy. According to Fester, (2007) “the rare Crested Gecko thought to be extinct but rediscovered in New Caledonia in 1994” (fester’ at Ireland