Herpetology Orders And Families

Front 1

Caecilians

Back 1

short, blunt tail (tail is everything behind the anus); blunt, bullet shaped head; segmented (primary annuli divided by secondary annuli); each segment generally has a vertebra; Vestigial eyes beneath skin
tentacles between nostrils and eyes for looking for stuff. Fossorial. Eat small invertebrates. Phallodeum for internal fertilization. Children eat mother's skin

Front 2

Salamanders - Biology

Back 2

Terrestrial. Bi or triphasic. (newts, larvae/juvie/adult). In or out fertilization. Ovi or viviparous. Eats mostly invertebrates

Front 3

Salamanders - Characteristics

Back 3

No copulatory organ, just cloacae. Costal grooves

Front 4

Cryptobranchidae

Back 4

Asiatic giant salamanders/hellbenders

Front 5

Ambystomidae

Back 5

Mole salamanders

Front 6

Amphiumidae

Back 6

Amphiumids - little east coast swamp thingers with 4 useless legs

Front 7

Plethodontidae

Back 7

Lungless salamanders - important

Front 8

Salamandridae

Back 8

Newts, European salamanders

Front 9

Sirenidae

Back 9

Sirens (like amphiumids but with only two legs, feathery gills)

Front 10

Anura - biology

Back 10

Mostly external fertilization
Gas exchange thru lungs and skin
Wide array of reproductive modes; Larvae (tadpoles) are mostly herbivorous; All adults are predators; Most have projectile tongues

Front 11

Anura - characteristics

Back 11

Short tailless body
Broad flat head with big mouth
Relatively long muscular hind legs (saltatory locomotion ie jumping)
Robust pelvic girdle
Urostyle (bone down back)

Front 12

Ascaphidae

Back 12

Tailed frogs; fastflowing mountain streams; voiceless; “tail” is a copulatory organ for internal fertilization

Front 13

Pipidae

Back 13

Surinam and West African toads; completely aquatic; tongue-less frog; very dorsoventrally flattened; somersault-based mating

Front 14

Bufonidae

Back 14

Toads; Terrestrial anurans; Wart skin; Slightly poisonous to eat; Large parotid glands; Lay eggs in strings

Front 15

Hylidae

Back 15

Amero-Australian tree frogs; Arboreal frogs
Toe pads will be mentioned if you need to ID these; U-shaped snout profile; Doesn’t include poison dart frogs

Front 16

Ranidae

Back 16

Most common frogs in US.

Front 17

Testudines - characteristics

Back 17

Four legs
Males have single erectile penis
Anapsid skull - no temporal openings (no teeth; keratinous beak)
Carapace (upper) and plastron (lower) with pleural scutes on side and marginal scutes around sides enclosing pectoral and pelvic girdles

Front 18

Testudines - biology

Back 18

All oviparous; Most dig flask-shaped chamber before laying
herbivores, omnivores, carnivores
Dermal osteoderms fuse to ribs etc to make the whole assembly into one big shell
Habitat - deserts, fresh or brackish water, or completely marine

Front 19

Pleurodira

Back 19

Side-necked turtles

Front 20

Cryptodira

Back 20

Hidden-necked turtles

Front 21

Chelonidae

Back 21

Sea turtles except for leatherbacks

Front 22

Chelydridae

Back 22

Snapping turtles. Their bodies sort of overflow from their bodies.

Front 23

Emydidae

Back 23

New World semiaquatic turtles and box turtles

Front 24

Tryonichidae

Back 24

Softshell turtles

Front 25

Testudinidae

Back 25

Tortoises. Skeletally different from box turtles. Elephantine legs. Favourite radite tortoise of madagascar

Front 26

Gavialidae

Back 26

Gharials - India - long noses - fish eaters - parental care - fast rivers

Front 27

Crocodilians - characteristics

Back 27

All have 4 well-developed limbs
Clear gestalt - long snout, toothy jaws, cylindrical bodies, laterally flat tail, dorsal armoring, thickly keratinized skin

Front 28

Crocodilians - biology

Back 28

Oviparous
Semiaquatic predators
Construct nest mounds of mud, vegetation, detritus
Parental care common
Males have penis et

Front 29

Alligatoridae

Back 29

Alligators and caimans. American alligator - feeds on vertebrates
Chinese alligator - feeds on molluscs and small vertebrates
Caimans - similar ecology to alligators. slow-moving water in central and south american lowlands

Front 30

Crocodylidae

Back 30

Crocodiles and false gharials. Fourth tooth visible when mouth closed
Widespread in tropics/subtropics
Freshwater, brackish marshes, mangrove forests
All carnivores, but varied menus

Front 31

Sphenodontidae

Back 31

Tuataras. 2 species in New Zealand. Lizard gestalt, stout body, large head, thick tail, erect spines on back
lack tympanum hear through jawbone like snakes, rudimentary hemipenes, Largely nocturnal, Oviparous, Prey on invertebrates lizards and seabirds

Front 32

Squamata- characteristics

Back 32

Lizards/snakes. four limbs or limbless (all snakes, a few lizards)
Hemi-penes, Vomeronasal organ for taste and smell on roof of mouth
Tympanum in lizards but not snakes

Front 33

Squamata - biology

Back 33

Oviparous or viviparous
Herbivores, omnivores, carnivores, you name it
Habitat - desert, freshwater, marine

Front 34

Chameleonidae

Back 34

Chameleons. Mostly in madagascar.

Front 35

Iguanidae

Back 35

Iguanas, anoles

Front 36

Gekkonidae

Back 36

Geckos. Have sticky toes.

Front 37

Scincidae

Back 37

Skinks. Shiny because of very smooth girls

Front 38

Anguidae

Back 38

Alligator lizards, (legless) glass lizards. Skink-like, but note rectangular scales

Front 39

Varanidae

Back 39

Monitors, goannas, komodo dragons. All have forked tongues. Supposedly ancestors of snakes.

Front 40

Viperidae

Back 40

Vipers. long fangs fold up whennot in use