In this week’s assignment I will provide a brief summary of the species I selected and an outline of the topics I will be covering on the final paper. To start things off I will talk about the different names the American Alligator is known by and where in the world we can find this animal. Following this I will discuss some of the stages of the life cycle, to include the variables of the sex and what they eat to how big they can get and how long they live. I will also briefly talk about two of the alligator’s main systems – the reproductive system and the digestive system. Finally I will discuss some of the different extinct species that evolved into what the alligator we know today is and some of the various species in the crocodilian family.
I. Introduction of the American Alligator
A. Names: Common name is Alligator or Gator; Scientific name is
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From egg to baby: The temperature can actually determine the sex of the gator- If the temperature is above 90 degrees the babies can be either male or female and if it is under 90 they will all be female. They usually eat insects, minnows and worms as babies.
B. From baby to adult: It takes them about 10-12 years to reach 6 feet, and can live up to 50 years. The average size for males is about 11 feet and for females is about 8 feet.
III. Structure and Function
A. Reproduction: They are able to reproduce when they are about 10-12 years old. The breeding takes place at night, in shallow waters and the male mounts the female. Mating occurs in early May and by late June/July the female lays 35-50 eggs.
B. Digestion: Their teeth are not used for ripping/grinding down food like humans. They use the teeth to grab and drag their prey or to drown them and then swallow them whole. The food is slowly broken down with stomach acids and released to the intestine and released from the cloaca (they don’t have a bladder so it just goes straight out the cloaca which is an opening to the outside of their body)
IV.
3 Apr. 2014. The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. http://eol.org/pages/323582/details>. Evans, Arthur V., Rosser W. Garrison, Neil Schlager, and Michael Hutchins. Grzimeks' Animal Life Encyclopedia.
1) Carroll, R. L. 1988. Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York.
The humuhumu are a very independent and aggressive fish therefore they breed externally,but still heterosexualy.. Once they reach the age of maturity, the female will lay her eggs in the wedges of a coral which will then be fertilized by a male soon after. Then once they are fertilized the female will come back and guard the ...
They don't breed until they are between six and eight years old, and the female lays only one egg every two years. If that egg is removed, however, she will lay a second or a third. With this in mind, scientists captured wild condors for captive breeding and also began to collect eggs for captive
Alden, Peter, Rich Cech, and Gil Nelson. 1998. National Audubon Society Field Guide to Florida. New York: Knopf. 2. Brown, Larry W. 1997.
Within the state of Florida there are dozens of individualized, non-profit organizations making an effort to help the local wildlife. The local land and marine wildlife includes birds, geckos, frogs, snakes, panthers, manatees, sea turtles, fishes, sharks, corals, lizards and many, many more. Florida State is located on the Southeastern tip of the United States providing a unique opportunity for conservation of salt-water animals. While there are animal conservation efforts taking place all over the world, this essay will focus on two animal species that humans are specifically trying to save in Florida State. The two main animal species of focus are manatees and sea turtles.
Duck Hunting has been around since the 17th century and waterfowlers have been passing down the great tradition of waterfowl. Waterfowl or also known as duck hunting has been a growing sport and more and more people are starting to duck hunt around America.
1996). A study was done to examine the different parent-juvenile interactions of two different species of poeciliids: P. Monacha and P. Lucida. Individual females of the two species were place into chambers that had a mesh net to segregate it and allow juveniles to swim through and escape attack from the parent. The females were kept in these chambers as they birthed offspring and were recorded. It was found that the p. monacha females cannibalised their offspring immediately while the p. lucida females did not (Thibault 1974). The p. monacha juveniles that did escape the initial attack, swum to the bottom and through the mesh net. However, the juvenile p. lucida remained in the same section of the chamber with the female near the water
The Florida Manatee’s popular marine species in the tropical environment of Florida are currently considered an “endangered species”. The ecology (the relationships between living organisms and their interactions with their natural or developed environment), for the manatee (trichechus manatus), requires and is generally restricted to the inland and coastal waters of peninsular Florida during the winter, when they shelter in and/or near warm-water springs, heated industrial effluents, and other warm water sites (as stated in Research Gate (1997) Hartman 1979, Lefebvre et al). The Florida (West Indian) Manatee, An Endangered Species, has no known predators other than humans; in the past, humans hunted
In this research paper I will be discussing the Yellow-Bellied Three-Toed Skink and how instead of this reptile laying eggs like most reptiles would do, it is giving birth to live young instead. The Yellow-Bellied Three-Toed skink (Saiphos equalis) is a small reptile in size that closely resembles that of a snake, but with four legs. This specific species of skink can be found in New South Wales, Australia. It has been discovered that in the cold regions of New South Wales this organism is producing live young. However in the warmer regions of New South Wales this same exact species is laying eggs. (Handwerk, 2010). As stated in the National Geographic News, “Evolutionary records shows that nearly a hundred reptile lineages have
...r optimum temperatures, hot climate caused the dinosaurs to heat up beyond their optimum. However, the heat didn’t kill them, but sterilized the males, because their testes functioned at certain temperatures. Gould argues that this theory is untestable, and the experiments with the influence of extreme temperatures on modern alligators do not necessarily explain the extinction of dinosaurs. Furthermore, many questions are not answered because of the absence of evidence. Gould states that this theory is another example of bad science.
On average, Loggerhead Sea Turtles have a life span of more than 50 years and weigh 250 pounds. (CITE?) Loggerheads are known for their large heads, strong jaws and a heart-shaped reddish-brown
What are the differences between alligators and crocodiles? Aren’t they the same animal though, with different names? Well, actually one would be surprised by how different these two creatures actually are. Alligators and crocodiles are two of the most commonly confused animals out there. Their two families split from a common ancestor around 100 million years ago, thus forming two new families, known as the Alligatoridae and the crocodilian. This split caused them to adapt and live in different environments. The environment then played a major role in distinguishing their features and the appearance of their size, as well as their aggression levels towards humans and other animals. Learning more about these two creatures may actually open up your eyes and make you think about other objects that you see as one and may even change your attitude towards them. Alligators and crocodiles are very different in various aspects due to several factors involving their behavior and the environment surrounding them.
When the colony becomes well established, the queen begins to lay some eggs that develop into queens and males. It takes a few years before a colony becomes large enough to send out winged males and young queens to start new colonies. The cycle will now begin all over again. Nests come in all shapes and sizes. One tropical species built a nest that extended forty feet below the surface of the ground.
7 years), they begin their journey back to their birthing grounds to start reproducing. High water