Reptile

Today, humans rule the planet. Humans are the “higher animals” of the earth (Twain). Naturally, this would make all other animals the “lower animals” of the earth (Twain). Taking a good, hard and honest look at this hierarchy, could one truly come to this assessment? Sure, humans arrived here based off of their actions, development of technology, and intelligence. However, looking at their current state, can one truly call them the higher of the animals? Maybe it is more appropriate to refer…

When one thinks of the word “desert”, the first thing that usually comes to mind is a sand landscape with saguaros and snakes. This image is very different to the reality of Tucson. One of the most notable things about Tucson is how it has lived under four different governments. Originally, it served under the Spanish government, but it became a part of Mexico, when Mexico declared its independence from Spain. Then during the Gadsden purchase, it was sold to the United States but was considered…

Environmental-Dependent Sex Determination in Reptilians When we think of sex determination in organisms, we most often think of mitosis and the process of randomly receiving X and Y chromosomes from parent cells. This type of sex determination is known as genotypic sex determination (GSD), and it’s the most commonly found method of sex determination. However, this isn’t the only type of sex determination available to organisms. Some reptilians, for example, use environmental-dependent sex…

The topic of darkness is an often overlooked one, but in Paul Bogard’s article “Let there be dark” Bogard tells the reader some reasons that one should appreciate natural darkness, and why society should make sure that we make sure we do not lose it. Bogard uses a various number of techniques to make this statement, including facts and personal stories. According to Bogard, darkness should be preserved in that it is beneficial for our health, the environment and provides us with knowledge.…

A park ranger named Daniel told me that the park holds over 19,000 species of wildlife that have been identified, but it is thought that there are actually over 80,000 species. It holds approximately forty-three amphibian species, thirty-nine reptile species, sixty-seven fish species, sixty-eight mammal species, 200 bird species, and 1,500 flower species. Daniel also told me that a few of the taller mountains get fifty-five to eighty-five inches of rainfall per year. I think this park is…

term is also used to describe the animals that are extinct and use to live millions of years ago. Megafauna in Australia consisted mammals such as the large kangaroos, wombats, and wallaroos, large birds such as large emus and cassowaries, large reptiles such as goanna, saltwater and freshwater crocodiles. The megafauna went extinct around the Pleistocene period which was 2,588,000 to 11,700 years ago. There are…

her in confusion. “Here, let me explain.” she says realizing their confusion. “There are six different kingdoms of beings, we only live in one of those kingdoms known as Animalia or the animal kingdom. The animal kingdom includes birds, mammals, reptiles you name it. The one thing well all share in common though is that we all eat, reproduce, and eventually pass away.” both of the cubs nod their heads so she continues,”There are five others, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Eukaryotic bacteria, and…

Since the naming of the dinosaurs in 1842 it has been thought that their metabolisms were similar to current day ectothermic, cold blooded reptiles., In the 1960’s- 1970’s; however, it started to become apparent that an endothermic metabolism (warm blooded, like mammals) is more conformable with new evidence and observations. Originally, predictions on the paleothermometry of dinosaurs was based on the physical performance such as the estimation of running speed from trace fossils as well as…

Chester Elementary Teachers Preparation for Outdoor Core/NGSS Rollout Over the last three years, Chester teachers, Kellie Bainbridge, Janae LaGroue, Aletha O’Kelley, Meghan Whalen, Brooke Geer, Nicholle Crowther, Susan Tantardino, and Camille Klimek, have taken on a huge responsibility in our district, by agreeing to pilot Next Generation Science Standards ( NGSS).They have been the pioneers willing to dissect and deconstruct NGSS to create a curriculum guide and instructional plans that would…

Loch Ness Monster It’s time to reveal the secrets behind the loch ness monster. The truth is that the loch Ness Monster is not real. There have been many sightings throughout history, but many of those sightings have been proven to be hoax. Especially in our generation now that we have all this new technology many people have posted pictures and videos on the internet about discovering the loch ness monster, but many of the people who posted the pictures and videos have confessed that the…