Reptile Scavenger Hunt

Reptile Online Scavenger Hunt http://www.reptile-database.org/

1. Click on “How Many Species” at the left (yellow)…which is the only type that is going down in # of species?

TURTLES… http://animals.mom.me/turtles-chew-food-teeth-7059.html

2. How do turtles eat? Do they have teeth? http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=17+1797&aid=2700

3. What are the carapace and plastron on a turtle?

4. Under SHELL GROWTH, can you tell the age of a turtle by counting scute rings?

http://www.earthrangers.com/wildwire/top-10/top-ten-facts-about-turtle-shells/

5. (See #7 in the list) Turtle shells are covered in scutes, which are made of what material? What on your body is made of this same material? http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/call-of-the-wildman/lists/10-that-shell-isnt-what-it-seems/

6. Page 2…can turtles “feel” their shell? If the shell gets injured, will the turtle feel it?

7. Page 5…what are some sounds turtles make? Why do they make those sounds?

8. Page 7…how well do turtles hear?

9. Page 9…how do turtles breathe differently than humans?

10. Page 10…does color matter to a turtle? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tortoise

11. Scroll down to Life Cycle…what is a normal lifespan for a tortoise? What is the longest lifespan recorded for a tortoise? What animal is the only vertebrate to beat that record?

CROCODYLIANS http://www.livescience.com/27306-alligator-facts.html

12. What are the only two types of alligators (besides male and female)? How are they different?

13. A group of alligators is called a ______. Describe the social habits of alligators.

14. How fast can alligators go on land and in water?

15. Describe the food that alligators will eat. Are they only carnivores?

16. What causes the gender (male or female) of baby alligators?

17. Mother alligators don’t sit on the nest of eggs like chickens…instead what do they do to keep the eggs safe and warm? What do they do to help the babies hatch?

18. How long do the baby alligators stay with their mothers?

19. In the “Other Facts” section at the bottom,

a. Where did the word “alligator” originate?

b. Do alligators usually attack humans? http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/saltwater-crocodile/

20. How big is an Australian saltwater crocodile? (feet long and weight in pounds)

LIZARDS http://www.britannica.com/list/7-of-the-worlds-most-dangerous-lizards-and-turtles 21. Explore the site…read #4…do you think iguanas are safe pets??? http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/horned-toad/

22. (Third paragraph) What are some predators of horned toads? What are some ways they protect themselves against these predators?

23. How far can the horned toad squirt blood at predators? http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/strangest-defence-mechanisms-animal-kingdom

24. Ok. I know it’s a frog. But what weird defense mechanism does this frog (first on the page) do? CREEPY!

25. What about the Iberian ribbed newt—what can it do and how does it heal itself? Who knew amphibians could be so creepy? http://www.kingsnake.com/westindian/metazoa13.html

26. Aaack! What is that thing? Describe the amphisbaenian.

SNAKES http://reptilis.net/smell.html

27. In snakes, what is a Jacobson’s organ and what does it do?

28. What does the snake’s or lizard’s tongue tell you about how much it uses its Jacobson’s organ?

TUATARAS http://www.wired.com/2013/12/the-creature-feature-10-fun-facts-about-the-tuatara-or-just-the-tuatara-of-us/ 29. From #1, 3, 4, 6…what makes tuataras so unique?

30. The sleep wake cycle is regulated by the “third eye.” From #8, why do babies need a third eye?

31. What creature is mostly responsible for the near extinction of the tuatara? (#10)

WEIRD REPTILES http://1001archives.blogspot.com/2011/08/18-weird-and-most-rarest-reptiles-in.html

32. Explore and write some interesting things you discovered.

http://abcsofanimalworld.blogspot.com/2011/07/bizarre-and-weird-reptiles-in-world.html 33. Keep exploring. Tell me something interesting you learned.