Educator's Guide to the Assembly Program: REPTILES ALIVE!€¦ · Educator's Guide to the Assembly Program: REPTILES ALIVE! ... 1.Snakes(2-3) Ball Python ... Albino: the complete

Educator's Guide to the Assembly Program:REPTILES ALIVE!

www.reptilesalive.com ©ReptilesAlive! LLC 1/20

http://www.reptilesalive.com/

Program overviewThe Reptiles Alive! assembly program is a wildly exciting and educational introduction to a wide variety of reptiles from all over the World! Your students will meet live animals from Africa, Asia, Australia, North America and South America while they learn snake secrets and laugh at our lizard stories and turtle tales.

This program is recommended for providing students with a general understanding of reptiles and amphibians. Please explore our other programs if you'd like to focus on specific regions or habitats.

Below is a list of possible animals your students might meet during this program:

1. Snakes(2-3)� Ball Python� Giant Madagascar Hognose� Black rat snake� Bullsnake� Corn snake� Desert King snake � Honduran milk snake � Kenyan sand boa � Nelson's milk snake � Burmese Python� Boa Constrictor

2. Amphibians(1-2)� American Bullfrog

� American Toad� Australian Treefrog� Spotted Salamander

3. Lizards(1-3)� Bearded dragon� Blue tongue skink� Tegu� Water Monitor Lizard

4. Turtles/Tortoises(1-2)� Leopard Tortoise� Russian Tortoise� Snapping Turtle� Spiny Softshell Turtle� Box Turtle� Northern Diamondback Terrapin

5. Crocodilians (0-1) � American Alligator

Depending on the duration of your program, students will meet 5-6 animals (30 minute show) or 7-8 animals (45 minute show).

For detailed information on individual animals please visit our website at www.reptilesalive.com and click on “Animals”.

The following content provides you with materials that will aid you and your students in getting the best out of our program including:facts, vocabulary, suggested resources and activities which can be adapted for different age groups and SOL needs.



Introduction to REPTILES

Reptiles are animals from the class Reptilia.Reptiles inhabit every continent on Earth with the exception of Antarctica.

There are 4 orders of the class Reptilia:1. Chelonia – Turtles and Tortoises2. Crocodilia – Alligators, caimans, crocodiles, gavials3. Rhynchocephalia – tuatara4. Squamata – amphisbaenians, lizards, snakes

Characteristics:� Reptiles have a backbone. They are vertebrates. (Image 1)� Reptiles are covered in scales.� Reptiles breathe air with lungs.� Most reptiles lay eggs. Some reptiles give birth to live young. (Image 5)� Almost all reptiles are cold-blooded or ectothermic. One of the exceptions is the

leatherback sea turtle, which can regulate its body temperature to some degree. (Image 3)

� Most reptiles do not protect their eggs or young

Introduction to AMPHIBIANSAmphibians are animals from the class Amphibia.There are over 6,500 species of amphibians, and they inhabit all continents except Antarctica, living in varied habitats such as rainforests, rivers and streams, deserts and alpine environments.

There are 3 orders of the class Amphibia:1. Anura – frogs and toads2. Caudata – newts and salamanders3. Gymnophiona – caecilians

Characteristics:� Amphibians have a backbone and an internal skeleton made of bone. They are

vertebrates. (Image 2)� Amphibians are cold-blooded or ectothermic. They cannot internally regulate their

own body temperature. � Most amphibians start life as an aquatic larvae (tadpole) breathing the water with

gills and then go through metamorphosis to become adults with lungs which breathe air. Exceptions include the lungless salamanders, such as the red back salamanders, that lay their eggs on land and even guard them!(Image 4)

� Most amphibians do not have scales (the exceptions are some of the caecelians) and their skin is permeable (that means molecules and gases can pass through their skin).



REPTILES vs AMPHIBIANS


Image 3:Turtles basking on a log

Image 4: Life cycle of a frog Image 5: Scales!

Image 2: Frog skeleton

Image 1: Snake skeleton


WHAT DO REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS HAVE IN COMMON? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT?

Shared characteristics of reptiles and amphibians:1. Vertebrate animals that have internal skeletons made of bone.2. Ectothermic.3. Most do not protect their eggs or young (except crocodilians and a few

others).

Differences between reptiles and amphibians:1. The skin of amphibians is glandular, highly permeable to air and water, and

is usually covered in slimy mucus. The skin of reptiles is covered in dry keratin scales and is not very permeable to air or water.

2. Amphibian eggs do not have a shell and are usually laid in water. Reptiles either lay shelled-eggs on land or give birth to live young.

3. Amphibian young are born physiologically different from their adult form and must go through metamorphosis to develop into adults. Reptiles do not go through metamorphosis.



Reptiles Are Important to YOU

Most species of reptiles serve as both predator and prey. The boa constrictor starts life as a tiny baby at the bottom of the food chain and provides food for other animals. As the boa grows larger, it nears the top of the food chain and

helps to control populations of other animals. Food webs in most of our planet’s ecosystems depend on reptiles.Certain reptiles are considered crucial for the way they modify their habitat. Desert tortoises dig burrows that spiders, snakes, rodents and other creatures need to survive the harsh desert conditions. Alligators dig “gator holes” during droughts that provide critical habitat for fish, amphibians, turtles and other

wetland species. Without reptiles, many other animals would disappear. Some herbivorous reptiles act as seed dispersers and help plants. A few reptiles are also known to act as pollinators. As the olive white-eye bird has become scarce, the blue-tailed day gecko (Phelsuma cepediana) is now the main pollinator for the rare plant Trochetia blackburniana on the island of Mauritius.

Reptiles help humans in other ways as well.Doctors utilize reptiles to help people every day. Snake venoms are used to make medicines that treat cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses. Crocodiles and alligators are being studied for their ability to resist bacterial infections. Lizards with the ability to regenerate lost tails are helping scientists discover how to help people with injuries.

Farmers depend on snakes and lizards to reduce populations of rodents and insects. By eating rats , mice, and insects, reptiles serve as protectors of crop lands.Scientists and engineers are studying gecko feet to learn how they are able to walk up walls and upside down on ceilings. A gecko robot that can walk straight up a glass wall has already been built. In the future, look out for more amazing inventions based on gecko feet.



Reptiles Alive! Dictionary

a� Adaptation: characteristics and behaviors that help an animal or plant survive.� Albino: the complete or partial lack or melanin (dark color) in the skin.� Amphibian: ectothermic, vertebrate animals (frogs, salamanders & caecilians) that typically

have moist, slimy skin, usually lay jelly-like eggs in water, and go through metamorphosis to become adults.

� Amphisbaenians: a group of elongate, snake-like reptiles.� Antivenin/Antivenom: medicine derived from snake venom used to treat venomous

snakebites.

c � Caecilians: a group of legless, snake-like amphibians found mostly in the tropics.� Carapace: the hard upper shell of a turtle, crustacean, or arachnid.� Carnivore: an animal that eats other animals.� Competition: a demand by two or more individuals for the same resource (food, water,

shelter).� Conservation: protecting natural resources.

d� Deforestation: to clear a forest of all trees and vegetation.� Decomposer: organisms that eat or digest dead plants, dead animals, and animal wastes.

e � Ectothermic: (cold blooded) an animal that has a body temperature dependent on the

temperature of the environment.� Endothermic: (warm blooded) an animal that has the ability to maintain its temperature above

the temperature of the surrounding environment.� Extinct: a species that once existed that has died out completely.

f � Fang: a specialized tooth with a closed canal or groove that channels venom into a bite.



h � Habitat: a combination of climate, plants, geology and other factors combined to create an

animal species home.� Herbivore: a plant-eating animal. Iguanas and tortoises are herbivores.� Herp: a reptile or amphibian – from Latin “to creep or to crawl”.� Herpetology: the scientific study of reptiles and amphibians.� Hibernation: a state of inactivity or torpor, usually involving physiological changes, that many

animals enter to survive winter.

k � Keratin: hard, tough material that makes up reptile scales, mammal hair, and bird feathers.

m � Metamorphosis: a process of physiological change that some animals (including amphibians)

go through to become an adult.

i � Invertebrate: an animal that does not have a backbone or spine

n � Natural Resources: material supplied by nature.� Nocturnal: animals that are active at night and sleep in the day.

p � Photosynthesis: the ability of plants and certain other organisms to create complex organic

materials (including sugar) by using sunlight, water, carbon dioxide, and inorganic salts.� Plastron: the bottom part of the shell of a turtle or tortoise.� Poisonous: an organism that contains a substance that can cause irritation, illness, or death if

another organism handles or eats it. Most amphibians are poisonous.

r � Reptile: ectothermic, vertebrate animals (snakes, lizards, crocodilians, turtles, tuataras) that

have dry, scaly skin and lay eggs with a shell or give birth to live young.



s � Scute: a bony external plate or scale, as on the shell of a turtle, the skin of crocodilians, and the

feet of some birds.� Species: groups of plants or animals that reproduce young like themselves.

t � Territory: an area within a larger environment that an individual protects from invasion from

others of the same species. Iguanas will fight to protect their territory.� Tropics (tropical): region of our planet lying between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of

Capricorn, 23-27 degrees north or south of the equator.� Tuatara: a reptile resembling, but not related to, a lizard – Tuataras live on islands near New

Zealand.� Tympanum: thin membrane located at the rear of the head belonging to the reptilian auditory

apparatus.

v � Venomous: an organism capable of injecting a toxin by means of a bite or sting.� Vertebrate: an animal with a backbone or spine.� Vomeronasal Organ (Jacobson’s Organ): a sensory organ usually located in the roof of the

mouth that helps an animal taste or smell its environment.



RELATED EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIESsssss

ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY:

Have your class compare a human,and a snake.

Draw or find a picture of each, and list similarities and then the differences under each picture.

Ask your class: What makes them similar? What makes them different?

A few suggestions to get you started:

We all share backbones, hearts, and brains. What else do all three share?

Our skin has hair growing on it. Reptile skin has scales. Both hair and scales are made of keratin.

Salamanders, however, have skin covered in slime made of mucus.


Human skeleton

Snake skeleton


Create a Venn diagram like this one for humans vs amphibians (you can use the blank diagram provided below).

Mammals Amphibians



ART, LANGUAGE, READING, PUBLIC SPEAKING, AND SCIENCE

Turn Your Students into Scientists and Hold a Herpetological Conference

Each student should pick their favorite herp and then research their animal. Information can be gathered from books or by interviewing professional herpetologists at zoos, nature centers, museums, or universities. Size, physical description, food preferences, habits, habitats, and any other interesting facts should be compiled. Ask students to find out if there are any threats facing this animal (habitat destruction, pet trade, etc…) and what people can do to help protect the animal.

After completing their research, the students can create posters with pictures and information or have them write papers on their animal.

Now it’s time to hold your “Herpetology Conference” in which each herpetologist (student) must present their poster or paper to their colleagues (classmates). Each student should be ready to answer a few questions from their colleagues, just like at a real conference!



MATH

The longest snakes in the world are believed by most herpetologists to be the Anaconda of South America and the Reticulated Python of Southeast Asia. Both of these snakes have been known to grow nearly 30 feet long!

Use a tape measure to let your class see exactly how long 30 feet really is. You might have to go outside or into the hall if your classroom isn’t big enough!

Now find out:1. How many students does it take to form a 30 feet long line?2. How many inches are in 30 feet?3. Herpetologists, like all scientists use the metric system so, how many

meters are in 30 feet?, How many centimeters?, How many millimeters?



DRAMA

Assemble your students into groups of 4 or 5. Assign each group a situation relating to herps such as: encountering a snake; seeing a person trying to hurt a snake; finding out a friend has caught a wild herp to keep as a pet; discovering an injured turtle; seeing a turtle in the middle of the road; etc…

Have each group decide what they should do in each situation and have them act out their situation for the class.

When each group is done, have the whole class discuss what happened and what they might have done differently.



VISUAL ARTS

Make pictures, paintings, crafts or clay sculptures of favorite herps.



HEALTHY HABITS / SNACK TIME!

DANCE/MOVEMENT/ANTHROPOLOGY

The Hopi are a nation of Native Americans living in the Southwest United States who believe snakes were very important. Learn about the Hopi’s snake dance and create your classroom’s very own snake dance.



MUSIC

In India, snake charmers play a flute in front of a cobra to “charm” the snake and make it dance. If possible, find a video recording of an Indian snake charmer “charming” a cobra and play it for your class.Discuss with your class the fact that snakes do not have external (outside) ears the way we do and although snakes can hear low frequency sounds (truck engine), snakes probably do not hear the snake charmer’s music. The cobra is afraid of the snake charmer, and is following the movement of the flute to make sure it doesn’t get too close. By swaying the flute, the snake charmer can make the snake appear to “dance.”



RESOURCES

How can students learn more about reptiles & amphibians?

There are many ways students can pursue their interest in animals and learn more about reptiles and amphibians.

1. Visit your local library for great books about herps.

2. Take a trip to a nature center, museum, zoo, or aquarium. Be sure to read the information about the animals on display. There are usually staff members available to answer your questions.

3. Check out nature and animal programs that are offered at nature centers, libraries and other venues across the area. Visit the website of your local nature center or library for a list of upcoming programs.

4. You can email animal questions to Reptiles Alive! LLC. Our email is [email protected]

How can students help reptiles and other wild animals?

The best way students can help reptiles and other animals is to educate themselves about wildlife and then teach others what they have learned. People are more likely to care for and respect animals they understand - education leads to conservation.

How can students become Zoologists or Herpetologists?

It can be tough to land a career in herpetology. Math and all the sciences are a requirement for anyone interested in working with animals. Reading, writing, and communication skills are also required for a career in herpetology. Remind students to learn as much as they can in these basic areas to help them succeed when they get to college.


mailto:[email protected]


Older students seriously interested in herpetology may want to join a herpetological society such as The Virginia Herpetological Society (Website: http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com).Other states and areas have herpetological societies as well that you may find on the internet. High school students should consider volunteering at a local nature center or zoo to gain real life experience working with animals. Most herpetologists and zoologists began their careers as volunteers or interns.

A great resource for further reptile career reading is http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/careers.php .

SUGGESTED REPTILE RELATED FIELD TRIPS:

National Zoological Park’s Reptile Discovery Center exhibits a wide variety of live reptiles and amphibians from all over the world. http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Exhibit/default.cfm

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History displays a variety of preserved reptiles and amphibians from all over the world, including extinct species as well as living species. http://vertebrates.si.edu/herps/

Baltimore’s National Aquarium has a variety of live reptiles and amphibians, especially in its rainforest exhibit. http://www.aqua.org/

Nature Centers are located throughout the area and usually display live reptiles and amphibians native to this area. Staff naturalists are usually available to do programs and guided nature walks, but you need to call the nature center in advance to schedule a visit.

SUGGESTED READING:

Jeffrey C. Beane, Alvin L. Braswell, Joseph C. Mitchell, William M. Palmer, and Julian R. Harrison III. 2010. Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia. 2nd Ed, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 288 pages.

Linzey, Donald W. and Michael J. Clifford. 2002. Snakes of Virginia. University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA. 173 pages.



http://www.aqua.org/

http://vertebrates.si.edu/herps/

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibians/Exhibit/default.cfm

http://www.ssarherps.org/pages/careers.php

http://www.virginiaherpetologicalsociety.com/

Pinder, M.J. and J.C. Mitchell. 2001. A Guide to the Snakes of Virginia. Wildlife Diversity Special Publication Number 2, Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries. Richmond, VA. 32 pages.

Kleopfer, J.D. and C.S. Hobson. 2011. A Guide to the Frogs and Toads of Virginia. Bureau of Wildlife Resources Special Publication Number 3, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Richmond, VA. 44 pages.

Dorcas, Mike & Gibbons, Whit. 2008. Frogs and Toads of the Southeast. University of Georgia Press. 264 pages.

Mitchell, Joe & Gibbons, Whit. 2010. Salamanders of the Southeast. University of Georgia Press. 336 pages.

Ernst, C.H. and G.R. Zug. 2004. Snakes in Question. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C. 177 pages.

Buhlmann, Kurt, Tuberville, Tracey & Gibbons, Whit. 2008. Turtles of the Southeast. University of Georgia Press. 252 pages.

White, James F. Jr. and White, Amy Wendt. 2002. Amphibians and Reptiles of DELMARVA. Tidewater Publishers, Centreville, MD. 248 pages.

Conant, R. and J.T. Collins. 1998. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles, Eastern and Central North America. Expanded, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin, Co., Boston, MA. 616 pages.

Further Resources:www.ReptilesAlive.com has a variety of resources including other lesson plans, craft and activity ideas. There are also animal pages and general reptile and amphibian information available.

For more information, projects and ideas please visit our website at www.reptilesalive.com.If you have specific questions about this program, please call Reptiles Alive! LLC at (703) 560-0257 and we will be happy to assist you.





Documents

Educator's Guide to the Assembly Program: REPTILES ALIVE!€¦ · Educator's Guide to the Assembly Program: REPTILES ALIVE! ... 1.Snakes(2-3) Ball Python ... Albino: the complete