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Order Squamata
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Order Squamata
By: Kevin Soffera
Fossils
Three common species of Mosasaurs, some of the earliest squamates that lived in the oceans and seas
http://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/vert/reptile/mosasaur/
Fossils from Titanoboa, a monstrous 40-foot long snake from 58 million years ago, compared to a snake from modern times
scienceblogs.com
Anatomical
Behavioral Characteristics - Movement
Squamates have an organ known as the Jacobson's organ. This is highly developed in many reptiles and is used to detect scents. Lizards and snakes will flick their tongues in the air and detect odor particles that go to the organ and are sent as sensory messages to the brain.
- Lizards are more agile because of their limbs and will use that as well as camouflage to evade prey. Autotomy is the ability of some lizards to detach their tail and be able to escape from a predator.
- Snakes are limbless and their thousands of muscles in their skeleton and skin contract and extend which shoots them forward.
Chromosomal Analysis
P. molurus , E. quadrivirgata , and T. flavoviridis are three separate snake species that have very similar karyotypes. They have the same amount of chromosomes as well as the same sex chromosomes. The only differens is the shape of most of them, they aren't that different from each other.
Behavioral Characteristics - Food
Habitat
- Some snakes poison their prey, some constrict theirs to suffocate and kill them, and some will swallow eggs whole.
- Most lizards eat insects, small animals, or plants. Larger lizards, like the Komodo Dragon, eat larger prey such as goats and deer.
Squamates require an area with lots of sunlight because they are cold-blooded and need to maintain their body temperature by sunning themselves. They also need a moist environment to keep water in their bodies.
Behavioral Characteristics - Reproduction
Evidence of Evolution
Embryology
- Snakes are ovoviviparous, meaning after mating the females will keep the eggs in her body until they are ready to hatch.
- Lizards vary from species to species, some are ovovivparous, some are viviparous and give birth to live offspring, and some are oviparous and lay eggs in the ground.
Squamates - Characteristics
http://www.snaketype.com/snake-reproduction/
Both the Anolis distichus and Anolis carolinensis have a similar body shape as well as larger eyes, thin bodies and an elongated tail. They also have developed claws, indicating they evolved similarly. Both of them are very similar even in different stages of development.
Squamates are lizards and snakes that have scales and possess movable quadrate bones. Their skin is watertight to prevent water loss and they have very large lungs. All of them possess large upper jaw bones that are loosely conjoined to their skull.
Physical Characteristics
- Over 10 feet long
- Long, flat head with rounded snouts and a huge muscular tail
- Skulls have sharp, serrated teeth
- Grayish-red in color
- Saliva contains over 50 strains of bacteria used as a weapon
www.valleyanatomical.com
Komodo Dragon - Varanus komodoensis
Biochemical
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Varanidae
Genus: Varanus
Species: komodoensis
Conclusion - Descent with Modification
Conclusion - Natural Selection
http://www.pittsburghzoo.org/animal.aspx?id=55
Gila Monster - Heloderma suspectum
http://wolvesonceroamed.com/tag/caudal-autotomy/
Physical Characteristics
http://www.heloderma.net/en/anatomy-morphology.html?PHPSESSID=52542e9404f4fbff6910d921f7180a90
- Found in: Southwest United States and Northern Mexico
- Black body with orange, yellow, and pink patterns
- One of only two venomous lizards in the world
- Two feet long
- Forked tongue
- Osteoderms on top of head
- Uses its thick tail for fat storage
http://www.heloderma.net/en/anatomy-morphology.html?PHPSESSID=52542e9404f4fbff6910d921f7180a90
Behavioral Characteristics
- Will latch on to victims and chew them to inject their toxins
- Spend 95% of their lives underground, only coming out for food or to sun themselves
- Only attack when threatened or hunting
Lizards and geckos that can lose their tail and regrow it is called autotomy. In their tails, they have very similar proteins such as 5-Bromo-deoxyuridine retention cells. However, some lizards can lose their tail easier and grow it back in a more complete way than others, showing how autotomy has changed and evolved between different species.
www.superstock.com
Squamates evolved through directional stablizing, starting at the mosasaur of prehistoric times they evolved from water and land to land and stayed there for more food and it was easier to survive. On land, some squamates had kept legs for maneuvering and burrowing easier in savannahs, while snakes lost legs for better movement through jungles and swamps.
Squamates had gradualism, very slow changes that happpened to them. Snakes that have vestigial leg bones didn't lose them right away, they slowly changed over time until they turned into limbless organisms that slither. Squamates in general decreased in size slowly to be able to hide more effectively and be lighter to be able to stick on trees like geckos.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Helodermatidae
Genus: Heloderma
Species: suspectum
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/komodo-dragon/
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra/
King Cobra - Ophiophagus hannah
King Cobra - Physical Characteristics
- Range from 13 to 18 feet long
- Extremely venomous
- Yellow, green or brownish-black with white bars on it
- Thin, elongated organs and long bones
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Elapidae
Genus: Ophiophagus
Species: hannah
Habitat Information
The Gila Monster lives in the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahan Deserts as well as the Gila River Basin.
They live near rocky foothills and tend to saty away from flat areas.
http://www.californiaherps.com/lizards/pages/h.s.cinctum.html
Komodo Dragon - Habitat Information
- Komodo dragons live in a few volcanic Indonesian islands of the Lesser Sunda group including Komodo, , Rintja, Padar, and Flores.
- They range from tropical savannah forests to beaches and ridge tops.
King Cobra - Habitat Information
Komodo Dragon - Behavioral Characteristics
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/komodo-dragon/
- It lives in forests and near streams as well as dense swamps
- They are found mainly in China, India, and Southeast Asia.
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/king-cobra/
- They will use camouflage and patience to wait for their prey to pass by. They lunge forward at their prey and slash through their prey. Their poisons from their saliva will kill their target from blood poisoning.
- During mating, Komodo dragons will stand upright and wrestle each other to compete for the females.
www.thaivisa.com
http://www.cobras.org/cob_2.htm
www.arkive.org
King Cobra - Behavioral Characteristics
- When in danger, they can raise up they're bodies, flare out their hoods and make a high-pitched hissing sound.
- They bare shy and avoid humans, but will be hostile when they are cornered.
- They are the only snakes that build nests and will become very aggressive when threatened.