Marine Reptiles

Reptiles, Birds, Mammals

Phylum Chordata Subphylum Vertebrata 3 Classes:

Class Reptilia Class Aves (birds) Class Mammalia

Reptiles, Birds, Mammals

Evolved from fish-like vertebrates Moved from the water to the land Developed 2 pairs of limbs for walking – tetrapods Developed lungs to breathe Challenge of land - need to avoid drying out

Lungfish – A Missing Link

http://cas.bellarmine.edu/tietjen/images/lungfish.jpg http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/images/8733.jpg

Class Osteichthyes Subclass Sarcopterygii (lobe-finned) Breathe air through swim bladder Pectoral and pelvic fins → “legs”

http://bill.srnr.arizona.edu/classes/182/Vertebrates/BonyFishEvol-1.JPG

What About Amphibians?

Lungfish – now only freshwater Amphibians – some tolerate brackish water, none strictly marine Extinct amphibians - ancestors to the reptiles Extinct reptiles – ancestors to the birds

http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evo101/images/tetrapod_clade.gif

Marine Reptiles Better adapted to life on land than amphibians Skin covered with scales, prevents water loss Eggs – leathery shell, lay on land

http://www.ecologyasia.com/images-png/olive-sea-snake_5284.jpg

http://www.nps.gov/pais/naturescience/images/greencloseup-285.gif http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/03ml5d28gEa1Y/610x.jpg

Marine Reptiles

Some reinvaded the oceans, but still breathe air:

Turtles (Order Chelonia) Snakes (Order Squamata) Iguanas (Order Squamata) Crocodiles (Order Crocodilia)

NOAA

Marine Reptiles

Ectotherms (“cold-blooded”), so mostly in warmer waters, seasonal in temperate waters Cold stunning –

Turtles too far north when water temperature suddenly drops (<50°F) Get lethargic, immobile, float to surface, wash up on beach Fatal if not warmed

Marine Reptiles

Cold stunning – Local sea turtles rehabilitated by Riverhead Foundation

http://www.riverheadfoundation.org/mediacenter/detail.asp?briefing_id=35

Marine Reptiles

Riverhead Foundation release of 4 green turtles Aug. 20, 2011 at Hampton Bays

Sea Turtles

2 families, 7 (or 8) species

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/SeaTurtle/images/species1.gif and ...species2.gif

http://people.wcsu.edu/pinout/herpetology/dcoriacea/skeleton.gif

Sea Turtles Anatomy:

Dorsal shell = carapace Ventral shell = plastron Head does not retract

Sea Turtles

Adaptation to salt water – glands near eyes that excrete salt (“tears”)

Sea Turtles

Green (and Black) Global tropical and temperate Eat seagrass, algae

http://www.turtles.org/i2401013.jpg

NOAA

Sea Turtles

Kemp’s Ridley Smallest species (2 ft, 100 lbs) Only Gulf of Mexico and W. Atlantic Nest only coast of Mexico, Texas Eat mostly crabs

http://www.chelonia.org/LkempiiJFa2.jpg http://www.neaq.org/images/get_involved/proud_parent2.jpg

Sea Turtles Olive Ridley

Slightly bigger than Kemp’s Ridley Most abundant species worldwide Indo-Pacific, S. Atlantic Mass gatherings to lay eggs (“arribada”) Omnivorous

NOAA NOAA

Sea Turtles

Hawksbill Global, most tropical species Hawk-like beak Eat mostly sponges

http://www.cs.brown.edu/people/twd/fish/PNG/doeppne-081.jpg

NOAA

Sea Turtles

Loggerhead Global tropical and temperate Most abundant species U.S. Eat benthic invertebrates

NOAA

Sea Turtles

Flatback Australia, coastal only Omnivorous

http://www.mcsuk.org/images/turtle/flatback_hatch_kellie_pendo.jpg http://www.seaturtlenet.com/Images/Flatback/Flatback3.jpg

Sea Turtles Leatherback

Largest species (7 ft, 1200 lbs) Global, widest distribution Dive deep (up to 4000 ft) “Warm-blooded” (counter-current circulation, fat) Eat jellyfishes

©Newsday, 2006

Sea Turtles

http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/maps/86312.gif

Green TurtleReleased 9/30/08

Migrations Up to 3000 miles from nesting areas

Sea Turtles Internal fertilization at sea Females return to beach where they were born Lay eggs on beach (oviparous) at night, cover eggs with sand using rear flippers Several trips in one season, then not again for years

Sea Turtles

Incubation about 60 days Hatch at night, find water by moonlight If hatch day – easy to find water, but more predators Few survive to reproduce

http://www.nova.edu/ocean/seaturtles/sign2.jpg

Sea Turtles

http://www.herpdigest.org/turtles/hatch.jpg

http://www.susanscott.net/images/07-15_Green%20turtle%20hatchlings_bySAS.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1239/553140408_fffa55f330.jpg

http://seattlesteve.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/20080419-6.jpg

Sea Turtles Human impacts:

Food (meat & eggs), shell, leather Entangled, trapped in fishing nets Disrupt nests, confusion from lights All sea turtles threatened or endangered status

NOAA

Sea Snakes

Tropical Indian and Pacific Oceans 17 genera, 60+ species Most 3-4 ft long, flattened body, paddle tail, swim by undulation Ovoviviparous (eggs w/ yolk, live-born)

http://elapidcatcher.com/elapidcatcher.com/images/stories/snakes/yellow%20bellied%20sea%

http://image46.webshots.com/46/5/97/6/2275597060057246189LGPcsH_ph.jpg

Sea Snakes

http://www.arkive.org/media/8C/8C6D68E1-5028-4DA2-B60A-F485855B9E64/Presentation.Large/photo.jpg

Among most venomous snakes Carnivorous (bottom fish, eggs) One long lung, dive for up to 2 hours Salt excreting gland under tongue, also drink freshwater

http://www.underwaterplanet.com/Olive%20sea%20snake.jpg

Marine Iguanas Galapagos Islands (Pacific) only Only 1 species of iguanas in the sea 3-5 ft long, 1-4 lbs Glands in nose, sneeze out salt

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/animals/images/800/marine-iguana.jpghttp://www.biology-blog.com/images/blogs/12-2006/Marine-iguanas.jpg

Marine Iguanas Time on land – warm up Time in water – dive up to 15 m, 1 hour, feed on seaweed

http://www.biosbcc.net/ocean/marinesci/02ocean/enimg/GA340.jpg

http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/dynamic_images/naturelibrary_626/downloads.bbc.co.uk/earth/naturelibrary/assets/m/ma/marine_iguana/marine_iguana_1.jpg

2 marine species: American crocodile (S. Florida, Caribbean, Mexico to S. America) Saltwater crocodile (SE Asia, N. Australia)

American crocodile

Marine Crocodiles

Saltwater crocodilehttp://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Crocodylus_acutus_mexico_02-edit1.jpg

Marine Crocodiles

Usually coastal in mangrove swamps and estuaries, can venture out to sea Most aggressive marine animal Carnivore, ambush predator SW Croc - largest marine reptile (up to 20 ft, 3000 lbs)