ZOOLOGY STUDY GUIDE - Ye. O. Nevedomska - 2013

LECTURE 16. CLASS REPTILES (Reptilia)

Important to know

- Vipers never attack first and, as a rule, try to hide.

- What to do in case of a viper bite? The main thing is not to panic. If there are no lesions on the oral mucosa, it is advisable to suction the venom from the wound within a few minutes after the bite, rinsing the Mouth with Water from time to time. The victim should drink as much liquid as possible (hot tea, coffee, but no alcohol!) and sweat profusely. Antiallergic drugs (antihistamines: suprastin, tavegyl, etc.) and calcium salts are beneficial. In case of severe pain, 1-2 tablets of analgin or baralgin can be taken. The bitten person must be taken to the hospital immediately.

- The most effective remedy against snake venom is polyvalent antivenom, administered no later than 30 minutes after the bite. However, only a medical professional can and should administer it. Self-Treatment is dangerous due to the potential development of allergic reactions to the serum. If the person is not given urgent assistance, they may die.

- Making incisions at the site of a viper bite, applying a tourniquet for a long time, or cauterizing with hot objects significantly complicate the victim's recovery.

Interesting facts

- Snake venom is used to make ointments to treat rheumatism. How much do you think a gram of venom costs? It is 12 times more expensive than a gram of gold. A whole ton of ointment can be made from just one gram of venom. Can you imagine how potent this venom is? In very small quantities, it heals; in large quantities, it kills. As Paracelsus once said: "Everything is a poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose makes a thing not a poison!" For instance, a cobra bite is fatal. Modern science knows how to save a person bitten by a cobra, but these Methods must be applied immediately, following specific rules. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. There is a story about a peasant in Kenya who saved himself after being bitten by a cobra. Feeling the bite of the fearsome snake, the peasant instantly killed it and ate its HEAD right then and there. After lying down for a few days with a mild fever, he felt completely healthy and went back to work in the field. When asked how he had thought of this and dared to do such an unprecedented thing, he replied: "Every peasant has known since ancient times that you fight fire with fire..." Apparently, he was a desperate and resolute man.

- At the tip of the tail of American rattlesnakes is a rattle. This is a chain of hollow segments that rub against each other with a clicking sound when the tail vibrates, deterring potential enemies.

- In chameleons, each eye can move independently, which is crucial when lying in wait for prey while the body remains motionless. Chameleons live in arboreal vegetation, possessing prehensile toes and a long prehensile tail with which they grasp branches. The ability of these animals to change color depending on environmental changes due to the redistribution of Skin pigments is well known.

- Can legless lizards be distinguished from snakes? Legless lizards differ from snakes by having movable eyelids. Two species of legless lizards are common in Ukraine: the slow worm and the sheltopusik.

- What are "crocodile tears"? Crocodiles, like sea turtles, have a specialized organ—a salt gland. Excess salts are excreted through ducts near their eyes. When the animal is in the water, the secreted droplets are unnoticeable. However, when it comes ashore, these droplets resemble tears. This gave rise to the legend that crocodiles cry when they lay eggs, supposedly because they will never see their offspring, as they do not incubate their eggs.

- Why could giant dinosaurs (Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus) only exist in water? The mass of giant dinosaurs reached 50 tons, so on land, such an animal would be crushed by its own weight, since the buoyant force of air is virtually non-existent.

Interesting facts about THE ORIGIN OF reptile names

- Unsuspectingly, we call a snake "zmiya," but this word actually originated due to a taboo. Encountering a snake was terrifying. Therefore, in ancient times, our ancestors began to refer to it not by its real name, but by a descriptive, cautious, and inoffensive term. A taboo was placed on the snake's true name. This original, true name began to fade until it was completely forgotten. "Zmiy" or "zmiya" meant "creeping on the ground"; this expression replaced the ancient name of the reptile, which is unknown to us but was likely related to the Greek "echis" — "echidna," "snake."

Evolutionary process

- Phylogenetically, reptiles are the first true terrestrial vertebrates (Amniota). Mesozoic Era — the golden age of reptiles, especially dinosaurs, which included the largest terrestrial animals in the planet's history. At the end of the Cretaceous Period, the extinction of large reptiles occurred.

- Reptiles evolved from Paleozoic amphibians—stegocephalians. They were still tied to water bodies but possessed mobility, significant Brain development, and likely had a rudimentary horny skin covering. Of particular interest are the forms that lived during the Carboniferous period and occupied an intermediate position between amphibians and reptiles; their spine became strong due to the ossification of Cartilage, the transformation of the first two cervical vertebrae (which became mobile) began, and they developed long Ribs and stronger limbs than stegocephalians, enabling them to lift their bodies off the ground.

- Reptiles are descendants of ancient amphibians that successfully solved Structure/149.html">The problem of reproduction on land and became the first fully terrestrial vertebrates. The "invention" of a new type of amniotic egg and the associated developmental processes are the main differences between reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles lay their eggs on land, and therefore, The Need for any adaptation to an aquatic lifestyle in either the young or adults is eliminated.

The shell provides protection, and the large yolk serves as a source of nutrients, so that by the time of hatching, the young reptile reaches a relatively large size and is a miniature copy of the adult.