Reptiles and Amphibians

1. Reptiles and Amphibians North American Wildlife

2. Reptiles • Scales or plates • Eggs with leathery skins • Internal fertilization • Claws on feet • Young look like parents just smaller versions • Alligators, crocodiles, turtles, lizards and snakes

3. Green Anole Bog Turtle Copperhead American Alligator Reptiles • 4 Groups: Alligators, Turtles, Lizards, Snakes • Antarctica only continent without reptiles • First animal with a backbone to become independent of water for breeding • Lays terrestrial eggs or gives birth to live young

4. Reptile Eggs • Eggs have a shell and membrane for protection and to keep from drying out • Shells feel leathery – tiny holes allow oxygen in and carbon dioxide out • Eggs are laid on dry land

5. Alligators and Crocks • American Alligator and American Crocodile • Excellent hearing • Carnivores- do not chew their food • Moms- cows take care of young for up to a year • Hold breath under water for more then an hour • Can swim up to 20 mph, run up to 11 mph

6. Gators Wide U shaped jaw Fourth tooth on lower jaw is covered by upper lip Normally in fresh water Crocks More pointed V shaped snouts Fourth tooth on lower jaw can be seen when jaw is shut Normally in salt water How to tell the difference?

8. Turtles • Backbone incorporated into their shell • Lack teeth • Has a beak similar to a bird • Omnivorous: Eats plants and animals • Particularly enjoys insects and worms Eastern Painted Turtles

9. What turtles are found in ponds and rivers? Common Musk Turtle Eastern Painted Turtle Snapping Turtle Eastern Mud Turtle River Cooter

10. Lizards • Ears • Distinguishing characteristic from snakes • Variable and diverse • Many islands have species that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. • One group has lost their legs • Called Glass Lizards Slender Glass Lizard Fence Lizard Five-Lined Skink Broadhead Skink Slender Glass Lizard

11. Snakes • 17 Species in New York • Garter snake and water snake most common • 3 Venomous species • Copperhead (southern NYS, Timber Rattlesnake (most common), Massasauga Rattlesnake (mistakenly called Pygmy Rattlesnake) • Most species are non-venomous Ringneck Snake Black Racer Timber Rattlesnake Eastern Milk Snake Eastern Garter Snake

12. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Ringneck Snake Coachwhip Black Rat Snake Snakes • All lack legs • Lack ear openings • Hear vibrations through the ground • Shed their skin to grow

13. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake swallowing a Cottontail Rabbit Scarlet Kingsnake swallowing a Green Anole Snake Feeding • Entirely carnivorous • Swallow prey whole • 2 methods to capture prey for consumption • Constriction • Poison

14. Amphibians • Moist skin with no visible scales • Not clawed • Eggs in water • External fertilization • Larval stage before adulthood • Metamorphosis • Frogs, toads, newts and salamanders

15. Four Toed Salamander Southern Leopard Frog Green Tree Frog Amphibian Characteristics • Skin: • Moist • Breathe through their skin • Good sense of smell • Amphibians eat: • Insects • Anything that will fit into their mouths: including other amphibians

16. Frogs • Tadpoles when they are born • Lose their tails as adults • Two main types: • True Frogs • Tree Frogs • Toe-pads

18. Toads • Similar to frogs • Tail-less as adults • Warty skin • Have large glands behind each eye that produce poison American Toad Fowler’s Toad

19. Spring Salamander Marbled Salamander Two-lined Salamander Salamanders • Plethodontids: Don’t have lungs and must breathe entirely through their skin • Ambystomatids: Have lungs, but can also breathe through their skin • Salamanders can lay eggs in: • Streams • Wetlands • Soil

20. Amphibian Defense Methods • Poison in skin • Toads and Newts • Producing large numbers of offspring • Producing noisy squawks when attacked Red-Spotted Newt American Toad Green Frog Tadpole

21. Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Spotted Salamander Eastern Spadefoot Toad Conservation • Many species are in decline • More amphibian species are endangered than birds or mammals • Few species are becoming more abundant • Can you think of any reasons?

22. Causes of Declines • Habitat destruction • Building houses, parking lots, shopping centers • Cutting down trees • Filling in wetlands and ponds • Pollution • Trash and chemicals that are harmful to wild animals Photo by Steve Price Photos by Steve Price

23. Photo by K. Cecala Photos by Lauren Harshaw What can you do? • Watch, but don’t touch or keep any amphibians or reptiles you find. • Don’t kill snakes • Don’t release any amphibian or reptile pet into the wild