EEB267H1 Lecture 15: Squamates cont.
7 Mar 2017
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Document Summary
A family in the large groups of scinocoidea. Smooth, rounded overlapping, shiny scales: gives them a shiny fish-like appearance. Many are insectivores, but bigger ones will eat little lizards, frogs, etc. Small group is unique: green blood, muscles, bones, tongue, when liver breaks down red blood cells, it releases biliverdin as a product of metabolism, function: perhaps anti-malarial. Impossible to sort and fit: molecular data put them in toxicofera, but unsure if they are sisters to monitors or serpentes, morphological data puts them on the basal squamata, currently in a trichotomy within toxicofera. Often large, primarily herbivores: unusual for squamates, symbiotic bacteria to help them digest plants, herbivory has (so far) not evolved in vertebrates. One of the few (partially) marine squamates: also unusual for squamates. Prehensile tail (no autotomy: lost the ability to lose their tail, no fracture vertebrates. Tail is important for balance: acts as a 5th limb, wraps around branches.
