Division and Classification Essay (Reptiles)

A dinosaur has an antorbital fenestra with an open hole hip socket. The definition differs from the term used informally because it helped understand how the dinosaur moved and how they were categorized as species. There are four general characteristics that dinosaurs have as a result of their synapomorphies which are permeated acetabulum, ball-shaped head on proximal femur, the Cnemial crest on the proximial tibia, and an ascending process on astragalus. These four dinosaur synapomorphies are related to vertical limb support.

Trex is a big dino but the babies are super small to a mother trex so the mom and dad take turns to watch the little baby rex's and the other trex would hunt and come back for its turn. when the baby is 1 year old the mom kicks it out of the nest and it lives the rest of its life alone until it finds a mate. T-rex means “tyrant lizard” in one bite T-rex could eat up to 500 pounds

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 long-tailed weasel gets 8.4 units of energy a day from snakes in total but only get 0.1 of those units come from all four the striped snakes combined. The weasel gets 3.2 units from Garter snakes and 5.1 units from the Patch-nosed snakes. This is the same pattern that was seen in raptors. Both of the predators prefer the Garter snakes and Patch-nosed snakes to the striped snakes, further supporting the theory that the stripes on the Milk snake, Kingsnake, Shovel-nosed snake, and Coral snake make them less attractive to predators and therefore the predators eat much less of them then the Garter and Patch-nosed

There are four main groups of reptiles, known as Crocodilians, Squamates, Tuataras, and Turtles. Crocodilians consists of large reptiles which includes alligators, crocodiles, gharials, and caimans. Squamates are lizards, snakes, and worm-lizards. A worm-lizard is a subterranean burrowing reptile that resembles an earthworm, a legless lizard. Tuataras are a group of reptiles that are lizard-like in appearance but are different from squamates because their skull isn’t jointed. Turtles are the most ancient reptiles alive today. They have changed very little since they first showed up 220 million years ago. The first turtle appeared 220 million years ago.(Laura Klappenbach)

The leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, belong in the phylum of Chordate, class of reptilian, order of Testudines, and the family of Dermochelyidae. These reptiles can be found throughout the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Leatherback sea turtles are the largest turtles in the world. The average life expectancy of a leatherback turtle is forty-five years. Average size of the turtles upper shell, carapace, is about five feet and has a rubber-like texture feel to it consisting mainly of oil-saturated connective tissue. On average Dermochelys coriacea can weigh any where from approximately six hundred to two thousand pounds. In length these turtles are typically fifty-five to seventy-nine inches. The lack of claws is another distinguishing

The Western Painted Turtle is the largest of four species of turtles. They can grow up to about 8 inches and the males are generally smaller than the females. Their shells are nice and smooth and are about 250mm long. They are called painted turtles because their lower shell is a bright red with yellow and olive green colored designs spread through their shells. They have yellow lines on each side of their neck that are about the same size that go all the way to their head. They are cold blooded animals so they cannot control their body temperature. They have to go under the mud or sand to keep themselves warm. Western Painted Turtles are aquatic reptiles so

Adult velociraptors grow to be about six feet tall and weigh about 200 pounds. They can rip open prey with their single-toed six-inch claw, the three claws on their hands, or their powerful jaws. Velociraptors’ legs are so muscular they can jump ten feet straight into the air and can run very fast. Malcolm says, “Cheetah speed. Sixty, seventy miles per hour” (Crichton, 132). Velociraptors have long, pointed snouts and leathery skin with a pebbled texture which can be either yellow brown with darker reddish stripes or dark green with brown stripes. The procompsognathus is a very small, lizard-like dinosaur. Crichton writes, “Standing like that, it was almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along its back” (Crichton, 14). Procompsognathids

1. Adaptations- Characteristics that are passed down from parent to child that increases the organism's chance of survival and reproduction in their environment.

38 species of snakes stand out. In addition to 25 recognized amphibian species, there is a notable

According to a new study by researchers at the University of Queensland, “giant killer lizards” used to stomp around Australian land roughly 50,000 years ago. The discovery came as a surprise to the team of scientists, who now believe that Australia’s first human inhabitants might have lived at the same time as the giant predator.

These have rather potent venom used for defense and the hunt. Defense mechanisms of the rattlesnakes have well camouflaged bodies used to evade predators

Baby Tree Vipers are hatched from egg membranes during the rainy season. The young snake slits the egg membrane with its egg tooth at the moment of birth. As the babies are born, they actively grasp for the security of a branch. At birth the young Tree Vipers weigh under a quarter of an ounce and are about 6 inches long. The baby Tree Vipers take care of themselves from birth.

            Dinosaurs were first believed to be cold-blooded because they were thought to be related closely to reptiles which are cold-blooded creatures.  Cold-blooded animals don’t actually have “cold” blood, instead they rely on the temperature from their environment to regulate their own body temperature.  They do this by taking advantage of external heat by basking in the sun, and by lying

The way snakes give birth is either through live birth, viviparity, or by laying eggs, oviparity. Snakes are located within, Reptilia, the same class many dinosaurs were located in. Reptiles are the descendants of creatures in the Paleozoic period called, Labrynthodonts. One of the earliest reptiles that resembles the snake is the, Eophis, an eight inch long snake that lived in England (Guillette Jr. 1993). The Eophis was very different compared to modern snakes, Eophis had four legs and is believed to have been living near water. The limbs are what enabled Eophis to move rapidly in water (Guillette Jr., 1993). Around 100 million years ago the limbs in Eophis were loss and limbless snakes evolved (Guillette Jr., 1993). The fossil record of early snakes is very rare due to snakes consisting of many small and very fragile bones making them easily destroyed. Most of the species classified within Reptilia are oviparous. (Guillette Jr., 1993). Snakes are no