BIOL10001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 22: Boidae, Hydrophiinae, Dromornithidae

• School: University of Melbourne
• Department: Biology
• Course: BIOL10001
• Professor: Dr Kath Handasyde

Document Summary

Reptiles: amniotic egg : embryo in fluid-filled sac, with a shell, more resistant to drying compared with amphibians. Scales: prevent water loss (not permeable: less subject to desiccation. Reptile characters cont: excrete urea (thick paste) reduces water loss, ectotherms: constrains activity in cooler climates, but also means energy requirements. Faeces very dry (water conservation) relatively low (most reptiles can go for considerable periods without feeding) Reptiles around the world: order crocodilia: crocodiles and alligators, order testudines : turtles and tortoises, order squamata: snakes and lizards, order rhyncocephalia : tuatara (nz) Squamata: lizards and snakes: crocodile closest related to birds and dinosaurs, turtles branched early from the stem leading to archosaurs and lepidosaurs. Turtles: order testudines (chelonii, 4 families in australia, marine species. Largest turtle - up to 900kg: dietary specialist - feeds entirely on jellyfish, currently one of the few sp. Australian liards: 7 families, most with legs, some without.