#zooniversity

So I’ve been seeing that one porcupine video floating around my dash lately and I thought you guys might like to meet Teddy.

So I've been seeing that one porcupine video floating around my dash lately and I thought you guys might like to meet Teddy.

drun15 replied to your quote: See it’s easy as cake, when I’m hotter than the...

Whaaaaa

A transcript summary of sb zoo's zooniversity class on Reptiles, highlighting the fun stuff! Notes transcribed by me, shared by me, and random commentary added here and there are also me. Whee! (And these are accurate facts used by the sb zoo (and other AZA zoos!)so I would think some of these information is more correct than other sources. Unless I wrote it down wrong, then it's all my fault.)

First off, herpetology. Qu'est que c'est? 

Herpetology is the study of amphibians and reptiles. 

Herpetofauna are amphibians and reptiles. 

So what is a reptile, you say? 

Well, to be considered one, you have to be cold blooded, covered in scales or scutes, descended from tetrapods, lay eggs (amniotic eggs that helped transition them onto land), and inhibit all continents except Antarctica (too fucking cold down there dude!)

The four orders are as follows: 

Crocodilia: crocs, alligators, ghavials (below), caimons

Testudines: turtles, tortoises

Squamodata: lizards, snakes

Sphenodantia: tuatara (SO CUTE, RIGHT?!)

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I. Let's talk crocodilias. 

So the popular members are the crocs and alligators. But how can you tell them apart?

The American Alligators have a rounded snout and live in freshwater. 

The crocodiles have a sharper kind of snout and live in salt water. And they are the largest species in this order (the smallest are the Caimons). 

Some quick facts: 

- appeared about 84 mya in the Cretaceous period

- they are the closest living relatives of birds

- they have what are called osteoderms, which are the hard bony scales that they have (also referred to as scutes). 

- they have very good vision; at night too

- they breed underwater, and the gender of these animals is pretty much impossible to tell from looking at the outside (important stuff are all up in there, hiding from plain sight)

Conservation:

As we all know, these guys are highly sought after for their leather products and meat. Most of them are endangered in Asia, and like most endangered animals, they suffer from habitat destruction. :(

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II. Testudines are cool beans, broooo. 

Okay so here we have these popular species, Turtles and Tortoises, and again, not a lot of people don't know what makes them different exactly. 

Turtles have a flat shell, webbed feet, and they can't do "neck folding" (this neck retraction thing that tortoises can do to hide their head straight back into their shell or whatever. Some species of turtles can do a sideways neck folding though!)

Tortoises have stocky feet and they can actually flip themselves back over if they are ever turned over (apparently useful when they fight each other and stuff haha). 

And added bonus, Terrapin is kinda like a cross between a turtle and a tortoise. 

Some quick facts: 

- includes 300 species, and most are highly endangered!

- their shell is a keratin shield containing ribs and spine- meaning that they cannot just crawl out of their shell because their ribs and spine are connected to their shell which is connected to their body! So that turtle guy from Over the Hedge? Yeah, that dude totes cannot just walk around without his shell! He's a fraud, I say!

- the blocks on their shell are scutes, and they also shed these scutes as they get bigger. Like arthropods molting. 

- they are basically the oldest living animals ever. Tortoise live up to 100+ years!

- they bury eggs on land

Here's a shy little guy...

And this guy is just like, what up dog?

Conservation: 

Testudines are highly exploited animals :( 49 out of 300 species are critically endangered mostly due to, as per usual, habitat destruction by humans.

Humans suck, man. 

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