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Describe the conservation efforts of Eastern Indigos.
Range has been dramatically reduced. Two strategies; buy up the longleaf pine habitat and captive propagation.
Who are the "monitor" equivalent of skinks and why?
Phoboscinus bocourti
They fill the same niche as monitors. They eat other lizards, are an apex predator of their islands, and are an outlier of skinks.
Which genera has a spitting cobra?
Naja spp.
Why are Varanids considered to be among the most intelligent squamates?
They have problem solving abilities because of the wide range of prey items (komodos and the sounds of children, niloticus and crocodile eggs, indicus and crustaceans/birds, etc.). They are also able to be trained.
What is unique about the scutilation of Trachyboa?
(Dragon boa) Small eruptions on the eyes and nose that break up the outline of skull among leaves
Define vestigial hind limbs and describe their evolutionary significance.
Members of clade Alethinophidia have these. They are remnants of ancestral traits. They have a pelvic girdle, knee caps, and scales that erupt from their cloaca.
Talk about skin sloughing.
Day gecko - Phelsuma grandis
Defense mechanism; last ditch effort; can grow back (and can even be put back on)
What are the 3 major clades within Lepidosauromorpha and how do they relate to each other?
Lepidosauromorpha
-> Captorhynomorpha -> Sphenocephaliae
-> Squamata
Describe Family Loxocemidae.
Mesoamerican Python. Not a python b/c they lay eggs. They are K selected b/c they don't reproduce until 8 years and only lay a few eggs every few years, slow growing, and have parental care. They are very common, but not in zoos. Females are 6-7 ft, males are smaller. Have jaw pressure.
Describe the parental care of members of Family Pythonidae.
Mother have a strong drive to protect the eggs and will not eat while incubating them. They shiver to produce heat. If the eggs must be moved in human care then all smells must be cleaned away so the mother will understand that her eggs are gone.
What is a notable behavior of Thamnophis?
(North American Garter Snake) They are gregarious and have groups that they stay with willingly. This is a aspect of kin recognition and implies some sort of comfort when they are able to be in their groups.
Describe the farming methods of Elaphe.
Old world rat snakes (specifically the king rat snake/stinking goddess). They are farmed for folk medicine in Asia by containing them in outdoor pits at high quantities. The ethics of the keeping are not great, but from a conservation view it is a sustainable resource.
Why do Tegus show up on thermal cameras?
Tegus are paraendothermic meaning they are able to slightly raise their body temps by bumping u their metabolism. They can't do it forever, but they can survive winters and higher latitudes.
Name and describe the only venomous snake in Britain.
Vipera spp. The farther north they get the more black coloration they have as a response to thermoregulation. Venom is the equivalent to a copperhead. They have live birth. They are gregarious and live on rock outcrops with a specific group.
Ayden - tell me about your hemipenes
You should know this by now.
Describe the conservation efforts of Pituophis ruthveni.
Relationship with pocket gophers. Live in their burrows. They eat the gophers by pinning them to the side of the burrow. Now only found in western Louisiana and eastern Texas. All in AZA brought to Memphis for breeding. They lay 4 eggs, need many females to produce a lot of snakes.
Describe the unique aspects of the Burmese python digestive system.
They go a long time without feeding and atrophy the lining of the intestine because the cells use energy that the snake can't afford. When food is eaten, hormones initiate the growth of new cells which takes about 4 days. This is being studied for people who have gastrointestinal cancers.
Which Central American snake species loves palm plantations?
Bothrops; they respond to the plantations b/c the plantations attract mice and rats.
Where are Eublepharis macularis found in the wild?
The "Stan" countries in semi-arid scrub environments (rocky/hilly desert with intermittent small trees). But they even get close to the equator and into subtropical environments.
Describe the structure and function of a Gila monster's osteoderm.
The raised central point heats up fast and allows them to heat up to operating temperature quickly. The pedestal stays at a significantly lower temp. The capillaries dissipate the heat through the body.
Describe the osteology of Scolecophidia.
One of the most highly sculpted skulls of all vertebrates. Use their head to push through soil. Quadrate bone makes them snakes, but their skull is otherwise very different. Don't have eyes or eye orbits.
Why are the split jaw boas critically endangered?
They are endemic to islands off of Madagascar. They don't eat rats, but the introduced population of rats fear snakes and attack and kill the snake as a defense.
How deep into prey are proteroglyphous fangs injected? And solenoglyphous?
Proteroglyphous - shallow bites into the prey to inject the venom quickly
Solenoglyphous - deep into prey b/c they are not only used to deliver venom but also to break ribs, and pierce lungs/heart/arteries
Describe the reproductive strategy of Anguidae.
Oviparity and viviparity.
Species change strategy depending on the circumstance. More hostile situations = viviparous; more stable situations = oviparous
What is in Suborder Scleroglossa? What are important evolutionary links associated with them?
Mosasaurs. Believed to have evolved from a common ancestor of varanids. Also may be an important link the marine theory of snake evolution.