Today’s ReptilesSECTION 34.2
Lizards Iguanas, chameleons, geckos, anoles, horned lizards Some are herbivores – most are carnivores Many can regenerate lost tails – but they do not re-grow the bones
Male Collared Lizard
Iguana
Green Anole – common in Alabama
Snakes Lack moveable eyelids and external ears Skeleton:
◦ No pectoral girdle (shoulders)◦ Jaws have 5 points of movement
Feeding:◦ Constrictors – suffocate prey◦ Venomous: cobras, sea snakes, adders, pit vipers
(rattlers, copperheads, cottonmouths)
Eastern King Snake – an Alabama constrictor
Eastern Rattlesnake
Copperhead snakes
Water moccasin aka cottonmouth
Turtles & Tortoises Turtles – water dwelling; flattened shells Tortoises – land dwelling; dome shaped shells Shell – fused plates of bone covered with scales or leathery skin◦ carapace – dorsal shell; fused to vertebrae◦ plastron – ventral shell
No teeth – some are herbivores; many are carnivores (snapping turtle)
Alabama map turtle
Gopher tortoise – endangered species found in south Alabama
Crocodiles & Alligators All are carnivores Crocodiles – have longer, narrower snouts Alligators – have shorter, broader snouts Mothers protect both the nest with eggs and the young after hatching
Tuataras Only 2 species – both live in New Zealand Lizard-like Active at low temperatures
Tuatara
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