American Alligator

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American Alligator
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Kingdom Animalia multi celled ingest/digest
special tissues sexual reproduction
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Phylum Chordata bilateral symmetry, segmented
body, hollow nerve cord, tail at some point,
ventral heart, complete digestive system, bony or
cartilage endoskeleton Class reptilia
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Order crocodillia head held horizontally, four
legs, scales, most advanced reptiles, heavy
muscular tail, front feet 5 separate toes, back
feet have 4 partially webbed toes, binocular
vision, nostrals valvular and crescent shaped,
senses of smell, hearing and sight are well
developed, pupils dialiate to help see in dark,
eyes are immobile, 3 layers 1 to help protect in
water, do not see well underwater, stomachs most
acidic for any vertebrate
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Family alligatoridae Genus Alligator Species Allig
ator mississippiensis
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Adaptations JAWS Crocs have hinged jaw where
the top opens. An alligator has a hinged jaw
where the bottom opens. EXTERIOR Skin is
extremely tough. They have an armored back
protected by bony plates called scutes. It is
possible that this protection may prevent a
snakes fangs from penetrating the skin. Large
slightly rounded body with thick limbs, a long
head, and a very powerful tail which it uses to
propel itself through the water. Do not sweat, so
they stay cool by opening their mouths wide. The
evaporation helps cool them, much like when a dog
pants. COMMUNICATION making bellowing sounds.
A male can be heard a mile away
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BEHAVIOR hibernate for short periods of time
when cold FEEDING HABITS Carnivorous reptile
whose primary feeding time is at night. Small
gators Eat snails, frogs, insects, and small
fish. Large gators eat fish, turtles, snakes,
small mammals or small alligators. Swallow food
whole Teeth are conical shaped and are made for
grabbing and holding not for cutting. Will
sometimes hold food long enough for it to
deteriorate to the point they can swallow
it. Special valve in throat called a glottis that
enables it to capture prey underwater. In order
to swallow it must lift head out of water.
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HABITAT Southeastern part of US, inhabit
primarily fresh water, occasionally salt water
but cannot survive for long periods of time
because they lack salt-extracting glands that
crocodiles have, largest population found in
Florida and Louisiana, swamps, marshes, lakes,
and drainage canals
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REPRODUCTION Breeding season begins in April,
mate in water after mating, female moves into the
marshy areas and shoreline where she will
construct a nest. Lay eggs in late June early
July. 40-45 eggs. Incubation is 65 days.
Female guards her nest. Raccoons are notorious
nest raiders. Eggs hatch in August/september.
Young are known as hatchlings and are 6-8 inches
long.
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Live for 35-50 years longest record length is
192, 600 pounds
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Gibbons
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Classification Kingdom- Animalia Phylum- Chordata
(animals with backbones) Class- Mammalia
(Warm-blooded, fur, mammary glands Order-
Primates (lemurs, monkeys, lesser apes, great
apes, humans) Family- Hylobatidae (tree
dweller- the lesser apes Genus- Hylobates (11
species of gibbons separated by rivers) Species-
Hylobate Lar ENDANGERED
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Physical profile Very small and lightweight.
They have a small, round head, very long arms
(longer than their legs) and a short, slender
body. They have lightweight bones, and like all
apes, they have no tail. 3 feet tall, 18-35
pounds. Habitat Live in old growth tropical
rain forests in southeast Asia. They spend most
of their lives in trees. Diet They are
omnivores (eat plants and meat). The forage for
food in forests during the day, eating fruit
(75of diet), leaves, flowers, seeds, tree bark ,
and tender plant shoots. They also each insects,
spiders, bird eggs, and small birds. They drink
water by dipping a furry hand into the water or
rubbing a hand on wet leaves and slurping up.
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Reproduction Mates stay together for life.
Females are pregnant for about 7 months(230 days)
and usually only have 1 offspring. Females
reproduce about every 2-3 years. Newborns are
hairless except for a small cap on the top of the
head. Females nurture their young. Babies grasp
mothers fur on belly. Young stay with mother
for 6 years. Life Span 25-30 years
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Physical adaptations Hair Covered with
light-colored to very dark brown dense hair. No
hair on face, fingers, palms, armpits, and bottom
of feet. Senses Well developed hearing, sight
(color vision), smell, taste, touch Face
Hairless, dark eyes, small nostrils, and
jet-black skin. Hands/Feet 4 long fingers plus
a smaller opposable thumb. Feet have 5 toes
including a big toe. They can grasp and carry
things with both their hands and feet. When they
swing through trees they use four fingers of
their hands like a hook.
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Behavioral Adaptations Social animals that are
active during the day. (diurnal not
nocturnal) Live in small, stable family groups
(mated pair and offspring) The groom each
other They do not make sleeping nests like
other apes. They simply sleep in a fork between
branches. They sleep sitting upright, resting on
tough pads located on their rear ends.
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Movement They are very acrobatic and agile.
They spend most of their life in the trees. The
move swinging gracefully from branches and vines.
The also walk along small branches high up in
the air, like tightrope walkers they use
outstretched arms to help keep their balance.
They can leap acrobatically across large gaps (up
to 30 feet in a single jump). They cannot swim
and avoid water. When on the ground (Rare!) they
walk bipedally (on 2 legs).
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Communication and Territory -30-50 acres of
old-growth rain forest. Each morning upon
awakening a family group of gibbons loudly
announces its presence in the forest, using a
territorial hooting call and menacing gestures.
-This warns other gibbons to STAY OUT! This
noise usually lasts a half hour or more and is
started by a female. -Males and females have
different calls. (dogs bark and a hoot) Can be
heard up to 3 miles away. -The siamang have an
inflatable throat sac (gular sac) that acts as a
resonating chamber for the vocal chords, making
sounds even louder.
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Hippopotamus
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Scientific Classification Kingdom-
Animalia Phylum- Chordata Class- Mammalia Order-
Artiodactyla (even-toed, hoofed animals,
herbivorous, includes 2 hoofs on each foot-pigs,
4 hoofs on each foot-deer cows. Other animals
include giraffes, antelope, goats, sheep, camels,
bison, Elk, Moose etc) Family-
Hippopotamidae Genus- Hippopatamus Species-
Hippopotamus amphibius
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Habitat Rivers and lakes (deep water) and
nearby grasslands. They are found in the Nile
River Valley of East Africa. Diet With such a
big mouth you would think it is a meat eater but
it is actually a herbivore (plant eater). Eat
mainly grasses and reeds, also eat aquatic plants
and other vegetation. The feed at night. An
adult will consume about 100 pounds of grass each
night.
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Reproduction Mating coincides with the dry
season when hippo populations are concentrated at
water sources. Mating usually occurs in the
water and females are sometimes completely
submerged. Reproduce every 2 years in the wild.
Gestation is 190-210 days. Offspring (calves)
are born on land or in shallow water around
October and April (rainy season) and weigh about
93 pounds. Physical profile Slate brown color
to muddy brown and some purplish hues. It is a
massive animal 9.5-16.5 feet long and 2200-8000
pounds). Eyes and nostrils protrude, allowing
animal to see and breath while otherwise
submerged.
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Aquatic adatpations- thick layer of blubber helps
hippo conserve body heat and makes the animal
more buoyant. Ears, eyes and nostrils are placed
in a line along the top of its head this allows
hippo breath and to see and hear things above
water while almost entirely submerged (like frogs
and crocodiles). Feet are webbed and nostrils
can be shut tight when it submerges. Other
Adaptations -Limbs are short and pillar-like
with four toes on each foot. -Ears are small and
round -Eyes are bulbous and protruding -Neck is
short and quite thick in order to support the
weight of the massive head. -Muzzle is broad
and rounded.
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Mouth especially large in fact, the hippo can
open its mouth wider than any other living animal
except whales. Teeth Upper and lower canine
teeth (tusks) are long, thick and very sharp.
They are are continuously growing. Senses Well
developed sight, hearing and smell Hair/body
covering No hair except for a few stiff bristles
on its muzzle, ears, and stubby tail. Skin pores
secrete a thick, oily, reddish pigment which
protects the skin from sunburn and extended
periods in the water and prevent infection.
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Behavior Follow a fairly regular daily routine-
rest in water during day, feed at night. Tend to
travel in herds (10-15 animals), although herds
of 150 have been observed. A herd has a dominant
male, a few subordinant male, several females and
young. Only the dominant male has the right to
mate with females. Dominant males establishes
boundaries of his herds territory along the
shores of the lake or river and are marked with
huge dung piles. Territorial disputes are
resolved by intruder and defender facing each
other, present their rear ends and scatter their
dung at each other with their tails. Communication
variety of grunts, growls, screams underwater.
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Other Facts Can remain fully submerged for as
much as 30 minutes. Normally remain below for
3-5 minutes. Great hosts- birds, egrets, and
storks use hippos as perches for fishing. Birds
pick flies, ticks and insects off the skin of
hippos. Certain fish eat algae and other
deposits off hippos skin.
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What Do You Mean There Is No Such Thing As A
Black Panther?
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There is no distinct species of wild cat called a
Black Panther. Over the years it has become used
as a common name which can be applied to any
large black coated cat. Melanism causes the
dark color!
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Two Kinds Black Jaguar (South America) Black
Leopard (South Africa) Usual markings can be seen
through the dark fur, especially at certain
angles of light. Melanism is hereditary
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Black Jaguar Kingdom- Animalia Phylum- Chordata C
lass- Mammalia Order- Carnivora Family-
Felidae (cats) Genus- Panthera (big cats) can
roar, lie down to eat rather than croching,
dont purr Species- Onca
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Very little is known about the life of wild
jaguars. The have been hunted for their skin and
body parts, causing them to become very
endangered. The fact that they have become so
rare makes them hard to study. Most info about
the life of a jaguar comes from studying them in
zoos.
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Habitat Rainforests of South America. Prefers
dense lowland rainforest where it is humid and
damp. They tend to avoid open grasslands and
open, seasonally dry forests. They love water
and tend to live in areas around water. They are
very strong swimmers, and cool themselves in
water. Diet Eat anything in their territory.
Turtles, fish, alligators, monkeys, rodents,
deer, pigs, frogs, armadillos etc They kill by
crushing the back of the skull with their
powerful teeth, or crack the shells of water
turtles. Unlike lion, tiger, or leopard they do
not have the tendency to develop a man-eating
habit.
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Skull Short, rounded skull, short muzzle, large
eye sockets, thick sturdy jaw bones, saggital
crest (bony structure found at the rear of the
skull)- used as an anchor for large, powerful jaw
muscles. Jaws particularly powerful, kills prey
by piercing the skull with one swift bite. Canine
teeth sensitive to pressure. 16 in upper, 14 in
lower. Do not have grinding teeth known as
molars. Only move up and down, not side to side.
Only use one side of mouth when
eating. Fur/skin flexible and loose to minimize
damage from bite and scratch wounds. Fur is
dense and short and provides insulation. They
have wiskers on face and and special sensory
hairs that are longer than the rest of fur all
over body. Camouflage- stripes on tiger, spots
on leopard help blend into surroundings.
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Skeletal/muscular-walk on toes rather than whole
foot, sharp retractable claws, flexible ankle
joint helps climb trees, vertebrae is very
flexible and can contort themselves into almost
any position, this also minimizes damaged caused
from a fall. Bones- stockier, heavier and longer
than leopard. Broader face, larger rosettes,
thicker legs, and longer face than
leopards. Senses highly developed senses,
especially the senses of sight and hearing.
Smell is not as highly developed since the rely
heavily on sight to hunt. Use blend of sight and
hearing to locate prey Eyes Special layer on
back of the retina to help see in dark and it
helps magnify. Pupils increase in size- lens is
more sharply curved which increases sensitivity,
Can control the amount of light that enters eyes,
binocular vision.
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Tounge/taste- covered with hundreds of minute
sharp projections. They point backwards and are
used to scrape the meat off the bones. Grooming.
Can taste sour, bitter and salty but not
sweetness. Ears Huge ears that are cone
shaped. Can hear silent prey like mice that
have high pitched calls, and quiet sounds like a
mouses footsteps on dirt several yards away.
Mobile
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Behavior-mark territory with urine, vocalize
using wide range of sounds, wide range of body
postures to communicate moods especially
tails. Reproduction and Social BehaviorSolitary
animals, like most cats, and only come together
to mate. Mating is non-seasonal, but the cubs
are more likely to be born in the wet season,
corresponding to increased prey. Female attracts
the attention of males by leaving a scent
(urine). The male and female stay together only
for a few days. The gestation period is 93-110
days. The female will give birth to 1-4 cubs. The
hunt after 6 months and remain with mother for 2
years.
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Why Are They Endangered? Threats Deforestation-rem
oval of trees Poaching- Sport hunting- skin/fur
(not as common since 1970) Rancher kill fearing
that they will kill their livestock
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Other Facts Largest cat in western
hemisphere Length 6-9 feet weight- 125-350
pounds Live 22 years in wild
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Jaguar Leopard
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Duck Billed Platypus
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Kingdom- Animalia Phylum- Chordata Class-
Mammilia- mammary glands, hair, diaphram,
four-chambered haeart, large cereberal
cortex Order- Monotremata Family-
Ornithorhynchus Genus- Anatinus Species-
Ornitohorynchus Anatinus
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The platypus is sometimes referred to as a
Furred reptile because it lays eggs and some of
its bones are like reptiles. Overall, the
platypus is much more mammalian.
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Morphological Adaptatations Body streamlined for
moving underwater. Male averages about 50 cm
long and weighs 1.7 kg. The female is slightly
smaller. (size of a household cat) Tail used as
a stabalizer underwater and stores fat. Plump
tail means it is in good condition Shoulder
girdle similar to reptiles like lizards, it has
extra bones to support the large muscles needed
for digging with a sideways motion.
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Bill Thousands of touch-sensitive and
electrosensitive pores cover the rubbery bill.
The electrosensitive pores detect the electric
currents generated by muscle activity of small
prey and water flowing over stationary objects. 2
nostral holes near top that allows it to breath
while underwater. Forefoot Unlike beavers,
otters, and water-rats, the platypus swims with
alternate strokes of the forefeet only. The
webbing folds back for walking and burrowing and
during the return stroke for swimming. Ears and
Eyes Acutely sensitive above water, closes when
submerged in water. No external ears- just a
opening. Out of water they are sensitive to
sound. Eyes are beady and sensitive to movement.
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Fur waterproof coat, inner layer of fine hairs
that trap air and a layer of long, flat-bladed
hairs give excellent insulation (they spend up to
12 hours a day in was as cold as zero
degrees). Communication Sounds-compared to a
puppy growling Spur- Both sexes have a spur on
each hind leg. The female shed hers during the
1st year. They are 1.5 cm long, connected to a
venom gland and are capable of inflicting a
painful wound. The venom can cause excruciating
pain in humans and is strong enough to kill a
dog. This is the only venomous furred animal.
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Reproduction Seasonal breeder. Mating occurs
from September onward. Eggs are incubated for 6
to 10 days. Once hatched in early November, the
mom feeds her young with milk she stores in large
glands. This milk is rich in iron- 60 times more
than cows. Nesting burrows are found above water
level. Mother fills chamber with wet leaves to
create a moist atmosphere. Lives for 12 years
in the wild
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Diet Insect larvae, freshwater shrimp, bivalve
molluscs, frogs and fish eggs. Regarded as
nocturnal. Foraging occurs mostly between sunset
and sunrise. Repeatedly dives for 20-90 sec.
They will sort and chew the captured prey. While
Platypus is submerged they story food in special
cheek pouches. They grind food with grinding pads
on bill. Habitat Freshwater aquatic systems
(creeks, rivers, and lakes of eastern Australia)
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Other interesting facts Very shy Have no
teeth Can only stay underwater for 5
minutes Spend about 12 hours in the water