Department of Zoology at ANDC/Zoology Museum/Museum specimens/Reptilia

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Class Reptilia

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= General Characteristics of Reptilia =


 * cold- blooded animals.


 * skin is covered with horny scales or scutes.


 * no glands are present on skin.


 * limbs are reduced and pentaductyle type.


 * skull consist of single median occipital condyle.


 * mandible present in pieces.


 * ribs form the true sternum.


 * lungs for respiration.


 * heart is three chambered.


 * R.B.C. are nucleated.


 * both the kidneys are provided with separate ureter.


 * typical cloaca present.

= Classification of Reptilia =

= A Few Examples =

= 1.Chelone =

Common name-Green Turtle.

Distribution-

Habitat-Marine.

Food-marine algae.



Identifying characters-


 * Body color-olive or brown with yellowish spots.


 * Body length-85-110 cm.


 * Integument- covered by smooth shell.


 * four pairs of coastal shields on dorsal surface fitting closely.


 * Head-one pair of prefrontal shields covers the head.


 * EyesConsisting of eyelids and nictating membrane.


 * Limbs-wing-like paddles with only one claw.


 * Tail is short.


 * Unhooked jaws are present.

= 2.Testudo =

Common name-Land Tortoise.

Distribution-

Habitat-

Food-Worms and Insects.



Identifying characters-


 * Body length-30 cm.


 * Carapace-very convex, no nuchal plate.


 * Plastron-concave, central and marginal scales are yellow starred.


 * Feet-phalanges are reduced to two in digits.


 * Male is smaller than female.


 * They can live without water for along time.


 * In cold water, it hibernates underground.

= 3.Hemidactylus =

Common Name-House lizard.

Distribution

Food-insects.



Identifying characters


 * Body length-25 cm.


 * Body color-pale green.


 * Integument-scaly,minute and smooth scales.


 * Eyes-small eyes but eyelids are fused.


 * Ears-like openings whichare vertical.


 * Tongue-short, stcky and slightly notched.


 * Tail-long tail having a great power of regeneration.


 * Digits-smooth surface,clawed and two rows of ridged lamellae which help in movement.


 * several femoral pores are present on the thigh of male.

General characters-


 * amphicelous vertebrae.


 * parietal organs present.


 * oviparous.


 * one supra-temporal arch is present.

= 4.Varanus =

common name-common Indian monitor.

Distribution-

Habitat-burrows and trees.

Food-reptiles, mammals and dead bodies etc.

Identifying characters-


 * body length-60 cm.


 * Body color-brownish color with darker spots in rows.


 * Integument-skin is covered with scales -dorsal and vetral.


 * Dorsal-very small scales with tubercles and ventral scales are arranged in rows.

= 5.Ophiosaurus =

Common name-glass-snake or limbless lizard.

Distribution-

Habitat-burrows and bushy localities.

Food-snails, mice, insects,worms and small lizaards.

Identifying characters-


 * Body-long, cylindrical and similar to snake.


 * Head-similar to the typical lizard.


 * Eyes-movable eyelids on eyes.


 * Ear-openings represents the ear.


 * Tongue-consist of anterior(thin,extensile and retractile) and posterior(thicker).


 * Integument-covered by scales which is further underlyning by bony pltes.


 * Limbs-reduced to small cloacal spikes(a pair).


 * Tail-long and very brittle.

= 6.Draco =

Common name-flying lizard, or flying -dragon.

Distribution-found in Sumatra,Java, and Borneo. found in Madras in India.

Habitat

Food- 

Identifying characters-


 * Body-dorso-ventrally compressed.


 * Body length-25 cm.


 * Eyes-very small eyes, but eyelids are complete.
 * There are three hooks which are pointed,one isshort on either side and the other one is long in the middle.


 * Limbs- forelimbs and hindlimbs are extended as a pair of large wing like membranes,called pategia. pategia is supported by ribs.
 * Tail- it is very long and slender in shape.
 * gular pouch is present in both the sexes (orange in males and blue in females).
 * only male has a small nuchal crest.

= 7.Viper =

Common name-daboia.

Distribution-

Habitat-rocky bushy regions.

Videos of Viper

Identifying characters-


 * Body-elongated.


 * Body color-pale brown but underparts are yellowish white. There are three longitudinal series of black spots.


 * Body length-one and a half of metre.


 * Head-triangular head with imbricate scales on upper surface.


 * Eyes-beuatiful eyes with golden iris and elliptical pupil.


 * Snout-angulate, nasal opening is quite prominent.


 * Scales-scales are arranged in thirty rows.


 * Supra-labials-10-12,4th is the largst.


 * General characters-


 * viviparous.


 * carnivorous.


 * it's venom is haemotoxic.

= 8.Elaps =

Common name-coral snake

Distribution- found in South America and the Lesser Antilles.

Habitat-

Food-

Identifying characters-


 * Body- elongated and cylindrical.
 * Body color- pretty black and red rings alternate with one another.


 * Body length- about 1-1.5 metre.
 * Integument- smooth scales are present which forms about 15 rows.
 * Head- small, not distinct from tail.
 * Eyes- smallwith vertical pupil.
 * No teeth in maxillaries behind the poison fangs.
 * Tail- short but round

= 9. Dendrophis =

Common Name- Tree snake.

Distribution- found in South East Asia and Australia.

Habit and Habitat- abortal in habit.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS-


 * Body- elongated and cylindrical in shape.
 * Body length- about two metre long.
 * Integument- scales are present which are keeled and form 13-15 rows.vertebral rows are enlarged.
 * vntral rows consists of lateral keels( a pair), and notch ( help in climbing) on each side.
 * Eyes- covered by transparent membrane which is fused.
 * Ear- tympanic membrane is absent.
 * limbs- absent, girdles are also absent.
 * No gangs (harmless).

= 10. Crocodilus =

Common name- marsh crocodile or muggar of India.

Distribution- found in India, Burma, Malacca, Beluchistan.

Habit and Habitat- like to live in rivers, ponds, tanks and marshes.

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERS-


 * Body- exoskeleton is present, horny thiock epidermal scales consist of dermal bony plates.
 * Body color- upper parts are dark olive brown.
 * Body length- about 4-5 metres.
 * Head- triangular and rough at the top.
 * Snout- stout rather broad.
 * upper and lower jaws are present. teeth are 38 in number.

Largest tooth- 5th of upper jaw.


 * Limbs- pentadactyle, five fingers with four toes.

fingers are webbed at base and outer toes are broadly webbed.


 * Ear- covered by movable flaps of skin.
 * Nuchasl scutes- 6 in number, packed closely together forming a square.
 * Oviparous and predators.