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Anguid
Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern Hemisphere. Common characteristics of this group include a reduced supratemporal arch, striations on the medial faces of tooth crowns, osteoderms, and a lateral fold in the skin of most taxa. The group includes the slowworms, glass lizards, and alligator lizards, among others. The family is divided into two subfamilies (Anguinae and Gerrhonotinae), and contains about 87 species in 8 genera. Morphology and reproduction Anguids have hard osteoderms beneath their scales giving them an armored appearance. Many of the species have reduced or absent limbs, giving them a snake-like appearance, while others are fully limbed. Body type varies among species, with sizes ranging from 10 cm to 1.5 m. The group includes oviparous and viviparous species, both of which can be observed in a single genus at times. Feeding and habitat These lizards are known carnivorous or insectivorous foragers, feeding ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glyptosaurinae
Glyptosaurinae is an extinct subfamily of anguid lizards that lived in the Northern Hemisphere during the Late Cretaceous and the Paleogene. Description Glyptosaurines are known primarily from their osteoderms, scale-like pieces of bone that are embedded in the skin and cover much of their bodies. The shape and extent of the osteoderms in glyptosaurines are similar to those seen in an unrelated group of lizards called Monstersauria, which includes the living Gila monster and beaded lizard. The osteoderms of glyptosaurines are unusually complex, consisting of four distinct layers of bony tissue. These tissues may have derived from both the dermis (the lower layer of the skin) and the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) during their development in the embryo. The tissue forming the outermost layer of glyptosaurine osteoderms is similar to tooth enamel and has even been given its own name, osteodermine. Glyptosaurines have been split into the subgroups Melanosaurini and Gl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Helodermoides Tuberculatus
''Helodermoides'' is an extinct genus of anguid lizards from the Oligocene of North America. The genus is monotypic, including only the species ''Helodermoides tuberculatus''. ''Helodermoides'' belongs to an extinct subfamily of anguids called Glyptosaurinae. In addition to many fragmentary bones, several complete skeletons of ''Helodermoides'' are known. Like other glyptosaurines, ''Helodermoides'' was covered in small scale-like bones called osteoderms. The osteoderms covering its skull are hexagonal, tightly interlocking, raised, and rounded. One fossil of ''Helodermoides'' preserves a fused mass of osteoderms at the tip of a shortened tail, thought to represent healing after the end of the tail fell off. The tail would not have been able to grow back because the osteoderms formed a thick bony cap preventing growth. The ability to lose a tail, called autotomy, is also present in living anguid Anguidae refers to a large and diverse family of lizards native to the Northern He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odaxosaurus
''Odaxosaurus'' is an extinct genus of anguid lizards that existed in western North America from the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene. Fossils of the type species ''Odaxosaurus piger'' and the species ''O. priscus'' are widespread throughout Late Cretaceous formations in the western United States and Canada. First described in 1928 from the Lance Formation in Wyoming, ''O. piger'' has since been found in the Hell Creek Formation in Wyoming and Montana, the Frenchman and Scollard formations in Alberta, and the Aguja Formation in Texas. It was one of the few species of lizards to survive the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which is estimated to have killed off 83% of all lizard species. The second species, ''O. priscus'', was named in 1996 from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta and has since been found in the Kaiparowits Formation in southern Utah. Remains of an anguid from the Kirtland Formation The Kirtland Formation (originally the Kirtland Shale) is a sedime ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viviparity
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the mother. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous' derive from the Latin ''vivus'' meaning "living" and ''pario'' meaning "give birth to". Reproductive mode Five modes of reproduction have been differentiated in animals based on relations between zygote and parents. The five include two nonviviparous modes: ovuliparity, with external fertilisation, and oviparity, with internal fertilisation. In the latter, the female lays zygotes as eggs with a large yolk; this occurs in all birds, most reptiles, and some fishes. These modes are distinguished from viviparity, which covers all the modes that result in live birth: *Histotrophic viviparity: the zygotes develop in the female's oviducts, but find their nutrients by oophagy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gerrhonotus
''Gerrhonotus'' is a genus of anguid lizards that are commonly referred to as alligator lizards, due to a vague resemblance to an alligator. Along with glass lizards ('' Ophisaurus'') and many other lizards, alligator lizards have the ability to regrow their tail. Species and subspecies There are nine recognized species in the genus ''Gerrhonotus''. One species has recognized subspecies."''Gerrhonotus'' ". The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org. *''Gerrhonotus farri'' – Farr's alligator lizardBeolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Gerrhonotus farri'', p. 88; ''G. liocephalus loweryi'', p. 161; ''G. lugoi'', p. 162). *''Gerrhonotus infernalis'' – Texas alligator lizard *'' Gerrhonotus lazcanoi'' *'' Gerrhonotus liocephalus'' – smooth-headed alligator lizard, Texas alligator lizard, Wiegmann's alligator lizard **'' Gerrhonotus liocephalus aus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pseudopus
''Pseudopus'' is a genus of anguid lizards that are native to Eurasia. One extant species remains, the sheltopusik, with four fossil species. They are the most robust members of subfamily Anguinae. The oldest fossils of the group date to the Early Miocene, but there are possible Oligocene The Oligocene ( ) is a geologic epoch of the Paleogene Period and extends from about 33.9 million to 23 million years before the present ( to ). As with other older geologic periods, the rock beds that define the epoch are well identified but ... records. Classification Genus ''Pseudopus'' *'' Pseudopus apodus'' – sheltopusik, Pallas's glass lizard, European legless lizard, European glass lizard *†''Pseudopus ahnikoviensis'' *†''Pseudopus laurillardi'' *†''Pseudopus pannonicus'' *†''Pseudopus rugosus'' References Anguids Lizards of Asia Lizards of Europe Lizard genera Reptile genera with one living species Taxa named by Blasius Merrem {{Lizard-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more joints than their lizard ancestors, enabling them to swallow prey much larger than their heads ( cranial kinesis). To accommodate their narrow bodies, snakes' paired organs (such as kidneys) appear one in front of the other instead of side by side, and most have only one functional lung. Some species retain a pelvic girdle with a pair of vestigial claws on either side of the cloaca. Lizards have evolved elongate bodies without limbs or with greatly reduced limbs about twenty-five times independently via convergent evolution, leading to many lineages of legless lizards. These resemble snakes, but several common groups of legless lizards have eyelids and external ears, which snakes lack, although this rule is not universal (see Amphisbae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anguis
SlowwormsThe "slow-" in slowworm is distinct from the English adjective ''slow'' ("not fast"); the word comes from Old English ''slāwyrm'', where ''slā-'' means "slowworm" and ''wyrm'' means "serpent, reptile". () (also called blindworms and hazelworms) are a small genus (''Anguis'') of snake-like legless lizards in the family Anguidae. The genus has several living species, including the common slowworm, the eastern slowworm, the Greek slowworm, the Peloponnese slowworm, and the Italian slowworm (''Anguis veronensis''). There are also known fossil species. Description Slowworms are typically grey-brown, with the females having a coppery sheen and two lateral black stripes, and the males displaying electric blue spots, particularly in the breeding season. They give birth to live young, which are about long at birth and generally have golden stripes. Slowworms are slow-moving and can be easily caught, which has given rise to the folk etymology that the "slow" in slowworm is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Campanian
The Campanian is the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous Epoch on the geologic timescale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS). In chronostratigraphy, it is the fifth of six stages in the Upper Cretaceous Series. Campanian spans the time from 83.6 (± 0.2) to 72.1 (± 0.2) million years ago. It is preceded by the Santonian and it is followed by the Maastrichtian. The Campanian was an age when a worldwide sea level rise covered many coastal areas. The morphology of some of these areas has been preserved: it is an unconformity beneath a cover of marine sedimentary rocks. Etymology The Campanian was introduced in scientific literature by Henri Coquand in 1857. It is named after the French village of Champagne in the department of Charente-Maritime. The original type locality was a series of outcrop near the village of Aubeterre-sur-Dronne in the same region. Definition The base of the Campanian Stage is defined as a place in the stratigraphic col ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anguis Fragilis
The slow worm (''Anguis fragilis'') is a reptile native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms. The "blind" in blindworm refers to the lizard's small eyes, similar to a blindsnake (although the slowworm's eyes are functional). Slow worms are semifossorial (burrowing) lizards, spending much of their time hiding underneath objects. The skin of slow worms is smooth with scales that do not overlap one another. Like many other lizards, they autotomize, meaning that they have the ability to shed their tails to escape predators. While the tail regrows, it does not reach its original length. In the UK, they are common in gardens and allotments, and can be encouraged to enter and help remove pest insects by placing black plastic or providing places to shelter such as piles of logs, corrugated iron sheets or under tiles. On warm days, one or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dopasia
''Dopasia'' is a genus of lizards in the family Anguidae. The genus contains seven species, which are native to Asia. They are most closely related to the North American '' Ophisaurus'', and are sometimes considered part of that genus. Species The following species are recognized as being valid. *'' Dopasia buettikoferi'' – Buettikofer's glass lizard *''Dopasia gracilis'' – Burmese glass lizard, Asian glass lizard, Indian glass snake *'' Dopasia hainanensis'' – Hainan glass lizard *'' Dopasia harti'' – Hart's glass lizard *'' Dopasia ludovici'' – Ludovic's glass lizard *'' Dopasia sokolovi'' – Sokolov's glass lizard *'' Dopasia wegneri'' – Wegner's glass lizard ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ... in parenth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
