Be An Expert: Reptile & Amphibian (Herps)

1. Reptile and Amphibian (Herp) Vocabulary     10 Points

• herpetologist
• cold-blooded
• gills
• lungs
• scales
• constrict
• Predator
• camouflage
• venomous
• carapace
• prey
• plastron
• food chain
• Jacobson's organ
• oviparous
• viviparous
• Metamorphosis
• ovoviviparous
• cloaca
• habitat
• herbivore
• hibernation

2. Amphibian Groups     5 Points
Name the 3 groups of amphibians

3. Reptile Orders     5 Points
Name the members of these reptile orders

• Squamata ___________________________________________
• Chelonia ____________________________________________
• Crocodilia ___________________________________________
• Rhyncocephalia _______________________________________
• Dinosauria __________________________________________
  

4. Herp Venn Diagram      5 Points
Use the information clusters to fill in the Venn Diagram.

5. Reptile Facts     10 Points
List an identifying characteristic, the habitat, and  a behavioral fact about 5 reptiles.

Reptile Species 1 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Reptile Species 2 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Reptile Species 3 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Reptile Species 4 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Reptile Species 5 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

5. Amphibian Facts      10 Points
List an identifying characteristic, the habitat, and   a behavioral fact about 4 amphibians..

Amphibian Species 1 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Amphibian Species 2 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Amphibian Species 3 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

Amphibian Species 4 ______________________________
Habitat ____________________________________
Behavioral Fact _______________________________________________________

6. Herp Differences      5 Points
What is the difference between:

Amphibians and Reptiles

Alligators and Crocodiles

Frogs and Toads

Salamanders and lizards

Snakes and Lizards

7. Herp Reproduction     5 Points

• Describe how amphibians reproduce.
  
  
  
• Describe how reptiles reproduce.

8. Venomous Snakes     10 Points
Name and describe the appearance, the habits, and range of 4 venomous snakes found in the United States.

Venomous Snake 1 _____________________________
Description ______________________________________________________________
Habits __________________________________________________________________
Range __________________________________________________________________

Venomous Snake 2 _____________________________
Description ______________________________________________________________
Habits __________________________________________________________________
Range __________________________________________________________________

Venomous Snake 3 _____________________________
Description ______________________________________________________________
Habits __________________________________________________________________
Range __________________________________________________________________

Venomous Snake 4 _____________________________
Description ______________________________________________________________
Habits __________________________________________________________________
Range __________________________________________________________________

10. Venomous Lizard     5 Points
Name and describe the appearance, the habits, and range of the one venomous lizard found in the United States.

Venomous Lizard  _____________________________
Description ______________________________________________________________
Habits __________________________________________________________________
Range __________________________________________________________________

11. What should you do if you are bitten by a venomous species?      5 Points

12. Myths     5 Points
List 3 myths about reptiles and amphibians

• Myth 1 _________________________________________________________
• Myth 2 _________________________________________________________
• Myth 3 _________________________________________________________

13. Garter Snake Care     15 Points
Become an expert on the care of a garter snake.

• Housing: What kind of house or cage would a garter snake live in?
  
• Furnishings: What will you need to put in the garter snake's house?
  
• Heating: How will you regulate the temperature?
  
• Feeding: What and how often will you feed the garter snake?
  
• Handling: How should the garter snake be handled?
  
• Medical Problems: List any medical problems a garter snake is susceptible to.

Create a foldable snake book that will display the answers to the care of a garter snake.

14. Herp Care     25 Points
Take care of a reptile or amphibian for one month. Record food accepted, eating method, color changes, shedding of skin, and any observations.

Animal Name ___________________     Dates ______________________

15. Frog Eggs/Tadpoles     15 Points
Keep the eggs or tadpoles of an frog from the time of laying until the transformation into tadpoles.
Ponds, small lakes, and creeks are ideal places to find amphibian eggs and catch tadpoles.
Collect 2 eggs or tadpoles for each gallon of water.
place a small flag to remember where to return the grown frogs.
Every 3 days draw what you see as the eggs develop.
Eggs and tadpoles can be kept in a large, flat pan, fish bowl, aquarium, or a large glass jar.
Use water from the pond where you collect the eggs or larvae.
Chlorinated tap water can harm or kill amphibian eggs and larvae.
It is not necessary to provide sand or gravel.
Eggs found in submerged habitats should be kept submerged.
Eggs found floating should be allowed to float.
Feed the tadpoles finely ground commercial goldfish food.
Feed only what the tadpoles can eat in a hour to avoid fouling the water.
Remove any uneaten food promptly.
As tadpoles become frogs, their diet changes.
They begin to feed on live animals such as insects and small crustaceans.
Tiny meal worms or aphids from infested houseplants are your best bet.
You might want to simply release the little frogs to ensure their survival.

Use the Frog Diary found at: http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums/education/pdf/primaryresource.pdf page 18

16. Reptile Observation & Information     15 Points
Choose a reptile that you can observe at a zoo, at school, a pet store, or another place.
Study the reptile weekly for one month.
At each visit, draw the reptile.
Note any changes in color, shedding of skin, and general habits and behavior.

Research information on food, native habitat, range, preferred climate, life span, and predators.
Identify human caused threats to its population and laws that protect the species or its habitat.

Share what you have learned by creating a report, a foldable book, or a poster on your reptile.

17. Green Wilma     15 Points
Read Green Wilma by Arnold Lobel.
Create a "Missing" poster on an eleven-by-thirteen-inch piece of paper (turned vertically).
Have a seven-by-seven-inch square drawn in black marker on the top half of the paper.
Describe the missing amphibian using characteristics (i.e. cold-blooded, invertebrate, etc.).
You can also include specifics from the story.
Choose a scene from the book to paint in the “missing!” square.
Print “missing!” in large block letters over the square for a final touch.

18. Sea Turtles     5 Points
Name 7 species of sea turtles.

19. Frog Skeleton     10 Points
Use a human body skeleton to help you label the bones of the frog skeleton.

20. Origami Reptile     10 Points
Go to Origami Haven found at: http://design.origami.free.fr/bestof/koh/index.htm
Choose a reptile: King Cobra, Greenback Turtle, Sea Turtle, Tortoise, or Frilled Lizard.
Create a Origami model of your choice.

21. Reptile Vivarium      15 Points
Build this home for a reptile called a vivarium.
Use it to complete Activity #14

ONLINE RESOURCES
Care of Snakes found at:
http://www.anapsid.org/mainsnakes.html

Habitat Dichotomous key found at:
http://www.fish.state.pa.us/education/herpsampler.pdf   page 31

Illinois Snakes found at:
http://dnr.state.il.us/Lands/education/snakes/toc.htm

Snake Mythology found at:
http://www.umass.edu/nrec/snake_pit/pages/myth.html

Snakes in Southern Myths and Folklore found at:
http://www.parcplace.org/snakemyths.pdf

Superstitions About Amphibians found at:
http://www.wildaboutbritain.co.uk/superstitions_about_amphibians

Tadpole Experiment found at:
http://www.fe99.com/category/tadpole-experiment/

Venomous Snakes found at:
http://www.venomoussnakes.net/

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