FISH, AMPHIBIANS and REPTILES

The first steps up the vertebrate ladder!
Aquatic vertebrates (fish) and the first to
transition from water to land (amphibians
and reptiles), able to free themselves from
water by developing amniotic eggs.

TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE REPTILES
Today's reptiles are a small remnant of the vast array of enormously varied reptiles that dominated the Mesozoic era. 2 programs. 30 slides. Extensive guides.
EPSS-1050X SLIDES
$59.95

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SAVE OVER $17.00 ON 2 SLIDE SET BUNDLE ORDER #SS-1050X........$59.95
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REPRESENTATIVE REPTILES Order #405..........$42.50

Surveys and illustrates the reptile class with representative North American
species. Snakes, lizards, geckos, anoles, turtles, crocodiles and alligators are
illustrated along with tracks, hatching, a massasauga eating and children handling a
snake. 20 slides and guide

CONTENT SAMPLE: 14937 Here you can see how a snake typically eats. This is
an eastern massassauga, one of the smaller rattlesnakes. The jaws of snakes are loosely
hinged and held in place by muscles and skin. When the snake tries to eat fairly large prey,
such as this mouse, the lower jaw drops away from the upper and the muscles slowly move the
food down the snake’s throat. Later it may appear as a bulge in the body of the snake. This
snake is kept in a zoo, and for humane reasons its food is killed before feeding.
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MARINE REPTILES Order SS-1050S...........$34.95

Found predominantly in tropical waters and in limited varieties, marine reptiles
are easy to overlook. But 8 turtle species, a lizard species, 50 snake species, and a
crocodile species frequent the oceans. 10 frames, cassette and guide. (Filmstrip order
SS-1050F..... $15.00.)

CONTENT SAMPLE: 7. Of the 3,000 or so species of living snakes some 50 species
have adapted to life in the ocean. Some are truly pelagic and may be encountered a thousand
miles from shore; others inhabit salt-water marshes and coastal bays. All of the marine snakes
belong to the family Hydrophiidae. All are poisonous and resemble the cobras and their allies
(family Elapidae) in the structure of their fangs and most other characteristics.

The marine snakes display an array of adaptations for marine life, however. Their tails
are laterally flattened and are sculled in paddle-like fashion during swimming. Most sea snakes
are covered with small, round scales and lack the enlarged ventral scales that characterize
terrestrial species. The nostrils are valvular--they can be closed when the snake submerges--and
may be displaced toward the top of the head. Nasal glands are believed to excrete excess salt.
Another modification that reflects their aquatic life is a reduction in the length of their tongues, as
the detection of airborne odors is of limited use to these fish-eaters; only the fork of the tongue
protrudes from the mouth.

Most sea snakes range from 3 to 4 ft in length, and a few may attain lengths of 8 ft.
Most inhabit coastal waters of the tropical Indian and western Pacific Oceans. One species
ranges throughout the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including the western coast of Central
America: the yellow-bellied sea snake Pelamis platurus. This truly pelagic snake is
distinguished by its sharply contrasting coloration, dark brownish back above and bright yellow
belly, that presumably helps to conceal it from predatory seabirds and fish.

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RELATED PROGRAMS WORTH NOTING
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WINTER SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES OF COLD-BLOODED ANIMALS Order #462.....$42.50

Describes methods used by poikilothermic creatures to survive the winter.
Discussions include migration, hibernation, and survival via eggs and various larval
stages. Coverage includes fish, various reptiles and amphibians, molluscs, worm,
arachnids, and numerous orders of insects. 20 slides and guide.

CONTENT SAMPLE: 21651 Although reptiles and amphibians are classified as
poikilotherms, they do regulate their own body temperatures to a surprising extent. This
thermoregulation is behavioral rather than metabolic as in the homoiotherms, however.

It is usually assumed that reptiles have a body temperature roughly equal to that of the
substratum, but it has been shown that the temperature of reptiles is usually higher than that of
the surrounding air. In fact, the body temperatures of lizards such as this leopard lizard
(Crataphytus wislizeni ) may be as much as 40° or 50° higher than the air temperature. For
example, a lizard lying on a black rock on a cool but sunny day will take on the temperature of
the rock rather than that of the air.

If its body temperature is too low, the lizard may flatten itself against the rock, absorbing
heat from the sun and more heat from the rock. If it gets too hot, it may leave the rock or stand
up slightly to allow some air to pass underneath it. Snakes can regulate their temperature by
placing different proportions of their bodies in sun or in shade. The variations are numerous, but
the end result is the same--some degree of temperature regulation in reptiles.

The leopard lizard is an inhabitant of arid and semiarid plains where the dominant
vegetation is bunchgrass or sagebrush. It lies in ambush in shade, camouflaged by its spotted
pattern, and waits for unwary insects to wander near. Cicadas, grasshoppers crickets, spiders,
small lizards, blossoms and seeds are all eaten to some degree.

Like rattlesnakes, leopard lizards spend the winter in underground crevices. But this
lizard is not found so far north, and so does not go as deep underground and does not pass the
winter in masses.

REVIEWS: “Students will enjoy learning more about this subject. The text...will
motivate the curious to further study. A recommended purchase...” Previews.
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ECOLOGY AND ANIMALS OF THE GALAPAGOS Order #110........$42.50

Known to every student of biology as the inspiration for Darwin's theory, and
increasingly popular with adventure-minded tourists, the Galapagos Islands remain today
much as they were when Darwin first saw them. Currently a nature preserve and
research center, their exotic animal life is now protected. This program presents the
factors that made the islands an evolutionary laboratory--variations in climate and
geography, the giant tortoises, iguanas, lizards, insects, birds, sea lions and plants. 20
slides and detailed guide.

CONTENT SAMPLE: 17367 The marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus) is the
only lizard adapted to live by the sea and be at home in the surf. There are distinct races,
ranging from the inky black on Narborough (seen here) to the rather colorful variety on Hood.
Presumably descended from some type of continental American land iguana, they probably
reached the islands clinging to flotsam, able to survive because they could tolerate immersion in
salt water and long periods of complete starvation. The marine iguana is huge, three to four feet
long with the length evenly divided between body and tail.

The marine iguana is a stout animal with strong limbs, a dragon like head and horny
scales along its spine. Its feet have five toes and strong claws to clutch the rocks in the strong
surf. Its snout is blunt and foreshortened, enabling it to scrape algae from the rocks. Its tail is
flattened on the sides and serves as both a propulsion force and rudder in the water. Though a
good swimmer, it only takes to the water to feed. It has the habit of squirting water to spit and
snort out surplus salt.

During the breeding season males occupy individual small territories in which they live
with several females. Their defense is first a matter of display, then a fight by pushing with their
armored heads. Finally the victor responds to a submission gesture by allowing the loser to
escape. As is the case with most territorial struggles among animals, the battle is more like a
tournament or ritual than a battle to the death. Almost always the intruder loses and neither
animal is seriously injured.
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~0214-085~ Eastern massauga feeding. photo by Charles R. Belinky, Ph.D.

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