Grzimek's Student Animal Life Resource. Reptiles

476 Pages·2004·22.02 MB·English

by  Catherine Allen

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grzimek’s
Student Animal Life Resource
(cid:127)(cid:127)(cid:127)(cid:127)
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grzimek’s
Student Animal Life Resource
(cid:127)(cid:127)(cid:127)(cid:127)
Reptiles
volume 1
Turtles to Wormlizards
Leslie A. Mertz, PhD, author
Madeline S. Harris, project editor
Neil Schlager and Jayne Weisblatt, editors
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Grzimek’s Student Animal Life Resource: Reptiles
Leslie A. Mertz, PhD
Project Editor Rights and Acquisitions Composition
Madeline S. Harris Sheila Spencer, Mari Masalin-Cooper Evi Seoud, Mary Beth Trimper
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Mertz, Leslie A.
Grzimek’s student animal life resource. Reptiles / Leslie A. Mertz ; edited by Neil
Schlager and Jayne Weisblatt.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7876-9404-5 (hardcover set : alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7876-9405-3 (volume
1) — ISBN 0-7876-9406-1 (volume 2)
1. Reptiles—Juvenile literature. I. Schlager, Neil, 1966- II. Weisblatt, Jayne. III.
Title.
QL644.2.M427 2005
597.9—dc22 2005000033
ISBN 0-7876-9402-9 (21-vol set), ISBN 0-7876-9404-5 (2-vol set), ISBN 0-7876-9405-3 (vol 1), ISBN 0-7876-9406-1 (vol 2)
This title is also available as an e-book
Contact your Thomson Gale sales representative for ordering information.
Printed in Canada
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Contents
REPTILES: VOLUME 1
Readers Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Pronunciation Guide for Scientific Names . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Words to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii
Getting to Know Reptiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxvii
Dinosaurs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Turtles and tortoises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Pig-nose turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Australo-American side-necked turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18
Seaturtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Snapping turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
Central American river turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Leatherback seaturtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
New World pond turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Eurasian pond and river turtles and neotropical wood
turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
American mud and musk turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
African side-necked turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70
Big-headed turtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Afro-American river turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Tortoises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87
Softshell turtles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95
Crocodiles, alligators, caimans, and gharials . . . . . .101
Gharial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Alligators and caimans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
Crocodiles and false gharials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Tuatara . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Contents v
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Snakes and lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
Angleheads, calotes, dragon lizards, and relatives . . . . . .145
Chameleons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156
Anoles, iguanas, and relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
Geckos and pygopods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
Blindskinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
Wormlizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
Mole-limbed wormlizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
Florida wormlizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .203
Spade-headed wormlizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Species List by Biome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xli
Species List by Geographic Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xliii
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see the Cumulative Index
REPTILES: VOLUME 2
Readers Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ix
Pronunciation Guide for Scientific Names . . . . . . . . . . . .xi
Words to Know . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvii
Getting to Know Reptiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xxvii
Night lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Wall lizards, rock lizards, and relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Microteiids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228
Whiptail lizards, tegus, and relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .235
Girdled and plated lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
Skinks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Alligator lizards, galliwasps, and relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . .260
Knob-scaled lizards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
Gila monster and Mexican beaded lizard . . . . . . . . . . . .273
Monitors, goannas, and earless monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . .279
Early blind snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .288
Slender blind snakes, thread snakes, or worm snakes . . .295
Blind snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .302
False blind snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
Shieldtail snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .314
Pipe snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .320
False coral snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .326
Sunbeam snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .331
Neotropical sunbeam snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .337
Boas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342
Pythons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .353
Splitjaw snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
Woodsnakes and spinejaw snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .369
File snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .375
Vipers and pitvipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .380
African burrowing snakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393
Colubrids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .399
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Cobras, kraits, sea snakes, and relatives . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
Species List by Biome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xvi
Species List by Geographic Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xliii
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . see the Cumulative Index
Contents vii

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Reader’s Guide
Grzimek’s Student Animal Life Resource: Reptiles offers read-
ers comprehensive and easy-to-use information on Earth’s rep-
tiles. Order entries provide an overview of a group of families,
and family entries provide an overview of a particular family.
Entries are arranged by taxonomy, the science through which
living things are classified into related groups. Each entry in-
cludes sections on physical characteristics; geographic range;
habitat; diet; behavior and reproduction; animals and people;
and conservation status. All entries are followed by one or more
species accounts with the same information as well as a range
map and photo or illustration for each species. Entries conclude
with a list of books, periodicals, and Web sites that may be used
for further research.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
Each volume of Grzimek’s Student Animal Life Resource: Rep-
tilesincludes a pronunciation guide for scientific names, a glos-
sary, an overview of Reptiles, a list of species in the set by
biome, a list of species by geographic range, and an index. The
set has 180 full-color maps, photos, and illustrations to enliven
the text, and sidebars provide additional facts and related in-
formation.
NOTE
Grzimek’s Student Animal Life Resource: Reptiles has standard-
ized information in the Conservation Status section. The IUCN
Red List provides the world’s most comprehensive inventory of
Reader’s Guide ix