Reptiles-The First Amniotes
Evolutionary Perspective
v First Vertebrates with Amniotic
eggs:
The earliest member of the class Reptilia
were the first vertebrates to possess
amniotic eggs.
Features of amniotic eggs:
Amniotic eggs have extraembroynic
membranes and membranes performs the
following functions:
• They Protect the embryo from desiccation.
• These support the embryo like cushion.
• These membranes promote gas transfer.
• These membranes remove the waste
materials.
v The part of Amniotic eggs
The amniotic eggs of reptiles and birds
also have following parts:
Shells: The amniotic eggs of birds and
reptiles also have hard or leathery
shell that provide moistures and
nutrients for the embryo.
Yolk: The yolk supplies food to the
embryo.
All of these features are adaptations for
development on Land. (The amniotic eggs
is not, however, the only kind of land eggs:
some arthropods, amphibians, and even a
few fishes have eggs that develop on land.)
v Amniotic egg-the major synapomorphy:
The amniotic egg is the
major synapomorphy(shared, derived characters)
that distinguishes the reptiles, birds and
mammals from vertebrates in the non-amniotic
lineage (evolutionary line having embryo without
amnion).
v Reason to flourish on land:
Even through the amniotic
egg has played an important role in vertebrates
successful invasion on terrestrial habitats, it is one
of many reptilian adaptations that have allowed
them to flourish on land.
v Living representatives of Reptilia
v Living representatives of the class Reptilia include the turtles,
lizard,snakes,worm lizard, crocodilians and the tuatara.
v Amniotic Phylogeny:
• Even though fossil records of many reptiles are
abundant ,much remains to be learned of reptilian origins.
• The adaptive radiation of the early amniotes began in the late
Carboniferous and early Permian periods.
• Skull structure particularly the modifications in jaw muscles
attachment, is one way to distinguish the lineage.
1. Anapsid reptiles:
• These reptiles lack openings or fenestrae in the
temporal region of the skull.
• The turtles represent this lineage today.
• Recent evidence suggests that the anapsid
lineage does not have close evolutionary ties
to other reptiles.
• The fundamental skull and shell is found in
200-million- year-old fossils.
• Evidence of the Anapsid lineage was found in
245-million-year-old rocks from south Africa.
2. Diapsid Reptiles
• A second group of reptiles are Diapsid.
• They have upper and lower openings in the
temporal region of the skull.
• Some taxonomists believe that this condition
has a single lineage.
• Some divide this group into two subclasses.
a) Subclass Lepidosauria:
It includes modern snakes, lizards and
tuataras.
b) Subclass Archosauria:
It includes the dinosaurs.
• Most archosaurs are now extinct.
• Living archosaurs are crocodilians and
birds.
• Birds are closely related to dinosaurs.
3. Synapsids
• They possess a single dorsal opening in the
temporal region the skull.
• All of the Synapsids have become extinct.
• But the are most important to evolutionary
point of view.
• It gave rise to the mammals.
CLADISTIC INTERPRETATION OF THE
AMNIOTIC LINEAGE
v View of Cladistic taxonomists
• Cladistics believes that the amniotic lineage is
monophyletic.
• The birds and the mammals have a common
ancestor.
• Birds and mammals have common ancestor
with reptiles.
• It is the rule of the cladistic analysis that
animals with most recent common ancestor
• According to cladistic interpretations,
birds should be classified as “reptiles”
with dinosaurs.
• Similarly, cladistic interpretations also
develop close relationship between
mammals and ancient synapsid
reptiles.
v View of Evolutionary Systematics
• Evolutionary systematists disagree that these cladistic
interpretation.
• These explain that the birds and mammals have important
morphological, behavioral and ecological characteristics.
• For example, feathers and endothermy in the birds, hair,
mammary glands and endothermy in mammals.
• These characteristics suggest that birds and mammals should
be placed in separate classes.
• They conclude that these characteristics have great importance
in the taxonomy of these groups.
Class Reptilia:
Dry skin with epidermal scales
Skull with one point of articulation with
vertebral columns
Respiration via lungs
Metanephric kidneys
Internal fertilization; amniotic eggs.
The third and final excretory organ that
develops in a vertebrate embryo. In birds,
rep;les, and mammals it replaces the
mesonephros as the func;onal excretory
organ and develops into the adult kidney.
1- Subclass Anapsid
Order Testudines
2-Subclass Lepidosauria
Order Rhynchocephalia
Order Squamata
3-Subclass Archosauria
Order Crocodilia
Subclass Anapsid:
Order Testudines:
Teeth absent in adults and replaced by a horny
beak; short, broad body
Shell consisting of a dorsal carapace and ventral
plastron. E.g Turtles.
Subclass Lepidosauria:
Order Rhynchocephalia:
Contains very primitive lizard like reptiles
Well developed parietal eye.
A single species Sphenodon punctatus survives
in Newzeland.
2. Order Squamata:
Specific characteristics of the skull and jaws
Successful and diverse group of living reptiles
e.g. snakes, lizards, worm lizards.
Subclass Archosauria
Order Crocodilia:
Elongate muscular and laterally compressed
tongue not protrusible
e.g. crocodiles, alligators.
Survey of the Reptiles
Structure and characteristics of
Reptiles
Characteristics of Reptiles:
• Skull: Their skull has condyle for articulation
with the first neck vertebra.
• Lungs: Respiration takes place by lungs.
• Kidneys: They have metanephric) kidneys.
• Internal Fertilization: They have internal
fertilization and amniotic eggs
• Amniotic Eggs: Reptiles possess amniotic
eggs.
• Dry skin and scales:
• Reptiles have dry skin.
• It has keratinized epidermal scales.
• Keratin is a resistant protein. It is found in
epidermal derived structures of amniotes.
• It is chemically bonded to phospholipids.
• Therefore, it prevents loss of water through body
surfaces.
• Order of reptiles: They are found on all continents
except Antarctica. However, they are most
abundant on tropical and subtropical environments.
• There is one snake, the common garter
snake, Thamnophis sirtalis, whose
distribu;on extends as far north as the
southern border of tundra.
• This animal has an incredible ability to
withstand low temperatures. It can
tolerate temperatures of -5°C without
freezing.
• When temperatures drop lower than this,
it can survive with up to 40% of its body
fluids turned to ice!
ORDER TESTUDINES (CHELONIA)
Turtles:
Keratinized beak: Teeth are absent in adults.
They are replaced by a horny beak.
No of species: Turtles have 225 species.
Limbs: Their limbs articulate internally with
the ribs.
Shell:
It consists of dorsal carapace and ventral plastron.
1) Carapace:
The dorsal portion of the shell is the carapace.
Carapace is formed by the fusion of vertebrae, ribs and bones in
the dermis of skin.
Keratin covers the bone of the carapace.
2) Plastron:
The ventral portion or the shell is plastron.
It is formed from bones of pectoral girdle and dermal bone.
Keratin also covers it.
Shell of box turtle:
• The shell of some turtle has flexible areas or
hinges.
• These hinges attach the anterior and
posterior edges of the plastron.
• The hinges close the openings of the shell
during withdrawal of body into the shell.
• Turtles have eight cervical vertebrae.
• These vertebrae can be articulated to form an
S-shaped structure.
• It draws the head into the shell.
Life span:
Turtles have long life spans. Most turtles reach at
sexual maturity after seven or eight years.
They can live 14 or more years.
The age of large tortoises of the Galapagos
Islands may be above 100 years.
Giant tortoises in the Galapagos tend to weigh up to
250kg and live longer than 100 years
Reproduction
Oviparous:
All turtles are oviparous.
Females use their hind limbs to dig nests in
the soil. There they lay eggs. Their clutches
contain 5 to 100 eggs.
Developmental and parental care:
Development takes from four weeks to
one year.
The parent does not attend to the eggs
Turtle conservation
Approval of conservation programs: In recent years,
turtle conservation programs have been enacted.
Why to conserve turtles:
• Turtles have slow rates of growth.
• Therefore, they have long juvenile periods.
• Therefore, they have high mortality rates.
• Thus turtles are becoming extinct.
• Turtle conservation programs have been started in
recent years.
• Dogs and other animals are hunting young turtles.
Complication in conservation of sea
turtles:
Conservation programme of sea turtles is
difficult. They have ranges of thousands of
square kilometers of ocean.
The protective areas include waters of
different countries.
ORDER RHYNCHOCEPHALIA
Tuatara:
Rhynchocephalia has only one surviving
species called tuatara.
Unchanged:
It has remained unchanged since it evolved
from its extinct relatives.
Its relatives were present at the beginning of
the Mesozoic era nearly 200 million years
ago.
Tooth attachment and Structure:
Tooth attachment and structure distinguish the tuatara from other
reptiles.
They have two rows of teeth on the upper jaw and a single row of teeth in
the lower jaw.
They bite the birds with these teeth.
This biting can decapitate a small bird.
Distribution: It was widely distributed in New Zealand.
The population of tuatara is affected by human influences and domestic
animals.
It is now present only on far off offshore islands. It is protected by New
Zealand law.
Oviparous: It is oviparous.
Living place: It shares underground burrows with ground nesting seabirds.
Food: Tuataras come out of their burrows at dusk and dawn. They feed on
insects or sometimes on vertebrates.
Order Squamata
• Three suborders:
• Sauria - lizards
– “lizard”
• Serpentes - snakes
– “to creep”
– Amphisbaenia
– Double Walk
ORDER SQUAMATA :
1. They have specific characteristics of the skull and Jaws.
2. Temporal arch are reduced or absent. They quadrate bone is
moveable or fixed. (contributes greatly to their ability to
swallow very large prey items)
3. They are the most successful and diverse group or living
reptiles.
Examples: Snakes, Lizards, Worm lizards
The order Squamata is divided into three suborders.
Suborder Sauria: The Lizards
Suborder : Serpentes
Suborder Amphisbaenia: Worm Lizards
Ancestral member of these suborders originated in the
lepidosaur lineage about 150 million years ago
Suborder Sauria: The Lizards
Species: Suborder Sauria have about 3, 300
species of lizards.
Legs: The lizards have two pairs of legs.
Jaws: Their upper and lower jaws are united
anteriorly.
Legless lizards: Few lizards are legless. But
they retain remnants of a pectoral girdle and
Sternum.
Size: Lizards vary in length. Their length may
be from a few centimeters to 3m.
Burton's legless lizard, legless lizards, flap-footed lizards and snake-lizards
( Australia and New Guinea)
Habitats: Many lizards live on surface
substrates. They move down under rocks or
logs when necessary. Others are burrowers or
tree dwellers.
Oviparous or viviparous: Most lizards are
oviparous. Some are oviviparous or viviparous.
They deposit eggs under rocks or debris or in
burrows.
GECKOS
• Geckos are commonly found on the
walls of houses in semitropical
areas.
• Their body is short and stout.
• They are nocturnal.
• They produce the sound of clicking
• They have large eyes, their pupil
contract and narrow during the day.
• It widens at night.
• They has adhesive disks on their
digits.
Hawaiian gecko
Jaragua lizard
Komodo dragon
• The Komodo dragon is the largest living
species of lizard in the world.
• This big animal is very dangerous with a
deadly bite and will a[ack humans.
•
• Growing up to 10 =, weighing up to 150
lbs and can live up to 30 years.
• Indonesian islands of Komodo
Iguanas
• Iguanas have heavy bodies.
• They have short necks and distinct
heads.
• This group includes the marine
iguanas of the Galapagos Islands and
the flying dragons (Draco) of
southeast Asia.
• Darco has lateral folds of skin.
• It is supported by ribs.
• The ribs of Draco can expand to form
Draco –
Flying Dragon of Southeast Asia
The marine iguana is an iguana found only on the
Galápagos Islands that has the ability, unique among
modern lizards, to forage in the sea, making it a
marine rep;le. The iguana can dive over 9 m into the
water
Marine Iguana
Chameleons
• It is another group of iguanas.
• It is found in Africa and India.
• Chameleons are adapted for arboreal
lifestyles.
• They use a long sticky tongue to capture
insects.
• They can change their color as per
environment
• Anolis or pet store chameleon is not true
Anolis
Venomous Lizards:
• They are the Gila monster (Heloderma
suspectum) and the Mexican beaded
lizard(Heloderma horridum) Southwestern
North America
• These heavy bodied lizards live in southwestern
America.
• The surface of their teeth have groove Venom is
released into these grooves.
• The lizard chews the prey and introduces venom
into it. Lizard bites are not fatal to humans
Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum)
Gila monster , Heloderma suspectum
Suborder Serpentes:
No .of Species: There are about 2, 300 species in the
suborder Serpentes.
Venomous Species: Majority of snakes are not
dangerous to humans. But three hundred species are
venomous. 30, 000 to 40, 000 people the from snake
bites each year World widely. Most of these deaths are
in Southeast Asia. In the United States about one
hundred people die each other from snake bites.
Elongate Without Limbs: Snakes are elongated and
lack limbs. Vestigial pelvic girdles and appendages
are sometimes present.
Vertebrates and ribs:
They contain more than two hundred vertebrae
and pairs of ribs. Joints between vertebrae make
the body very flexible.
Adaptations:
• Snakes have adaptations in skull for swallowing
large prey.
• Their upper jaws are moveable on the skull. The
upper and lower jaws are loosely joined.
Therefore, each half of the jaw can move
independently.
Other differences between Lizards and
Snakes:
They have different mechanism for focusing
the eyes and the morphology of the retina than
lizards.
Reduction or loss of organs:
Their body is elongated and narrow.
Left lung is reduced and gallbladder, right
kidney and gonads are displaced.
Oviparous: Most snakes are oviparous. A few
species give to live young like the New World
Evolutionary origin of the Snakes:
• Zoologists debate the evolutionary origin of
the snakes.
• The earliest fossils of snakes are 135-
million-year-old Cretaceous period.
• Some zoologists believe that the earliest
snakes were borrowers.
• Loss of appendages and changes in
structure take place for borrowing habit.
• It is believed that early snakes were aquatic
or they lived in densely vegetated areas.
• Therefore, lost the legs.
Snake Locomo;on
• 4 basic types:
• Lateral undula;on - S-
shaped path, pressure
against surface
irregulari;es
Snake Locomo;on
• Concer;na movement -
movement upward or
along narrow passages
• Extend forward while
bracing S-shaped loops
Snake Locomo;on
• Rec;linear movement -
slow, straight-line
movement
Snake Locomo;on
• Sidewinding - sandy
surfaces, body thrown
forward in loops, body
at 60° angle to line of
travel, 1 or 2 parts of
body in contact with
ground at once
Suborder Amphisbaenia: Worm Lizards
No.of species: This order has about 13 species.
Burrowers: They are specialized borrowers
and live in soils. They are found in Africa,
South America, the Carribean West Indies and
the Middle East.
Legless: Most of them are legless. Their skulls
are wedge or shovel shaped.
Single median tooth: A single median tooth is
present in the upper jaw.
It distinguishes amphisbaenians from all other
vertebrates.
Skin:
The skin of amphisbaenians has ring like
folds ,called annuli. Their skin in loosely
attaches to the body wall.
Skin bulges outward by the contraction of
muscles.
It forms an anchor against a burrow wall.
Movement:
Amphisbaenians move easily forward and
backward. Thus, they are named as
amphisbaenians.
Food:
Worm Lizard
ORDER CROCODILIA
No. of Species: The order Crocodilian has 21 species.
Ancestors: Dinosaurs and crocodilian, are derived from
the archosaurs.
Skull Characteristics: They have certain special skull
characteristics:
1. They have openings in the skull in front of the eye.
2. They have triangular eye orbits.
3. They have laterally compressed teeth.
Examples: Living crocodilians are alligators, crocodiles,
gavials and caiman
• An antorbital fenestra is an opening in
the skull that is in front of the eye sockets.
• This skull character is largely associated
with archosaurs, first appearing during
the Triassic Period.
• B irds s;ll possess antorbital fenestrae.
whereas crocodylians have lost them.
• The loss in crocodylians is believed to be related
to the structural needs of their skulls for the bite
force and feeding behaviours that they employ
Caiman
Rep;le Jaws
• Rep;le jaws designed
for crushing prey
• Fish, amphibian jaws
designed for quick
closure, but li[le force
ader
• Rep;le jaw muscles
larger, longer, arranged
for be[er mechanical
advantage
Unchanged:
Little changes take place in crocodilians over
their 170-million year history.
Snout: Their snout is elongated.
(i) It is used to capture prey by a
sideways movement of the head.
(ii) The nostrils are at the tips of the
snout. Thus animal can breath mostly
submerged.
Air passageways:
• Air passageways open into rear of the
mouth and throat.
• There is a flap of Tissue near the neck
of the tongue.
• It forms a watertight seal. Therefore,
breathing takes place without inhaling
water in the mouth.
• The secondary palate evolved in the
archosaurs.
• Secondary palate is a plate of bone. It
(iii) Tail:
They have muscular elongate and laterally
compressed tail. It is used or swimming. It
is also used for offense and defense.
(iv) Digestive System:
Teeth are used only for seizing prey.
Food is swallowed as a whole.
The crocodilians swallow rocks and other
objects. They use these rocks for breaking
the ingested Food.
(v) Oviparous:
Crocodilians are oviparous.
(vi) Parental care:
display parental care like birds.
Nesting behavior and parental care
shows that both birds and crocodiles
have common ancestor.
Order Crocodilia Reproduc;on
• Oviparous - lay eggs in
mass of vegeta;on
• Guarded by mother
• Incuba;on temperature
determines sex of
alligator hatchlings
• Low - females
• High - males
• 5:1 (M:F) in some areas
Order Crocodilia Reproduc;on
• Vocaliza;ons by
hatchlings cause
mother to open next,
allow hatchlings to
escape
• Some adults carry
young to water
Order Crocodilia Reproduc;on
• Mothers may guard
young in pools for
period of ;me to
protect them from
predators (fish,
mammals)
EVOLUTIONARY PRESSURES
Adaptations in Chuckwalla ( Sauromalus obesus):
It lives in the deserts of Southwestern United States. It has
following adaptations for terrestrial habitat:
Adaptation in summer:
• It can survive in late summer at temperate above 40
degree centigrade.
• Chuckwallas browse on plants when plants wither.
• Chuckwallas aestivate (summer sleep) to withstand
these hot and dry conditions below ground during
aestivation.
• The aestivation merges into winter sleep or hibernation
• In march it comes out to browse . Drink and store water
in large reservoirs under skin.
• It hard to capture or dislodge from rock crevices
Chuckawalla ------ Sauromalus obesus
External Structure and
LocomoQon
External Structure
Skin: Thick dry and kera;nized
Scales: modified for various func;ons e.g. large belly
scales of snake provide help for locomo;on.
Pheromones: Rep;lian skin less glandular than that of
amphibians but posses the secre;on like
pheromones for reproduc;on and defence.
Chromatophores:
• The chromatophores of reptiles are dermal in
origin.
• Cryptic coloration, mimicry and
aposematic coloration occur in reptiles.
• Colors also function in sex recognition and
thermoregulation.
Chromatophores
• Chromatophores are pigment-containing
and light-reflec;ng cells, or groups of cells,
found in a wide range of animals including
amphibians, fish, rep;les, crustaceans and
cephalopods.
• Mammals and birds, in contrast, have a
class of cells called melanocytes for
colora;on.
CrypQc coloraQon
CrypQc coloraQon:
The type of colouring or marking of an
animal that helps to camouflage it in its
natural environment.
It may enable the animal to blend with
its background or, like the stripes of
zebras and ;gers, help to break up the
outline of its body. "crypQc coloraQon.
Short Horne Camo
Mimicry
AposemaQc ColoraQon
Recognizable markings of an animal
that serve to warn poten;al
predators of the nuisance or harm
that would come from a[acking or
ea;ng it.
Ring Necked Snake
Coral Snake
Ecdysis:
• The process in which reptiles periodically
shed their outer epidermal layers of then is
called ecdysis.
• All reptiles undergo ecdysis.
• The blood supply to the skin does not move
in the epidermis.
• The outer epidermal cells lose contact with
the blood supply and die.
The lymph moves between the inner and outer
epidermal layers.
• It loosens the epidermis. Ecdysis begins in the
head region.
• The epidermal layers come off in one piece in
many lizards and snakes .
• In other lizards, epidermal layers broken into
small pieces.
• The frequency of ecdysis is different in
different species.
Support and Movement
Ossified Skeleton:
The reptilians are inherited skeleton from ancient amphibians. The
skeletons of reptiles show many notifications. The skeleton is highly
ossified. Thus it provides greater support.
Skull:
Their skull is longer than that of amphibians. They have secondary palate.
Secondary Palate:
It Partially separates the nasal passages from the mouth cavity.
Palate was evolved in archosaurs. It was an adaptation for breathing when
the mouth is full of water or blood. It is also present in other reptiles.
Snouts: They also have longer snouts. It increases the sense of olfaction.
Vertebrae:
• The first two cervical vertebrae are atlas
and axis.
• T hey provide greater freedom of
movement to head.
• An atlas articulates with a single condyle
on the skull. It helps in nodding.
• A xis is modified for rotational
movements.
Ribs:
The ribs of reptiles may be highly modified.
The ribs of snakes have muscular connections to large belly
scales. It helps in locomotion.
The cervical vertebrae of cobras are attached with some
special ribs.
Cobra flares these ribs in aggressive displays.
Turtles expended ribs are involved in formation of carapace
Flying dragon (Draco) ribs helps in gliding
Sacral Vertebrae:
The pelvic girdle is attached to the vertebral column by two
or more sacral vertebrae.
Caudal vertebrae:
The caudal vertebrae possess a vertical fracture plane. If a
lizard is grasped by the tail, caudal vertebrae are broken.
Autotomy
A portion of the tail is lost. The loss of tail is
called Autotomy. Autotomy is an adaptation
that allows a lizard to escape from a predator.
Sometimes, the predator runs away from lizard
after seeing its broken moving tail. The lizard
later regenerates the lost portion of the tail.
Locomotion
Primitive reptiles: Locomotion in primitive reptiles
is similar to salamanders. The body move low
between paired appendages. The appendages extend
laterally and move in the horizontal plane.
Modern reptiles: The limbs of other reptiles are
elongated and slender. They remain closer to the
body. The knee and elbow .joints rotate posteriorly.
Thus, the body moves higher from the ground.
Thus the legs support the both vertically.
Bipedal locomotion:
Many prehistoric reptiles were bipedal. The walking
on the hind limbs is called bipedalism. They had a
narrow pelvis. They have a heavy outstretched tail for
balance. Bipedal locomotion freed the front
appendages. Thus these appendages are used
capturing of prey or flight in some animals
