US_001-001_Halftitle.indd 1 05/05/14 1:49 PM US_002-003_Title.indd 2 26/03/14 5:09 PM S m i t h s o n i a n Chris Mattison US_002-003_Title.indd 3 05/05/14 2:03 PM LoNDoN, NEw YoRK, MELbouRNE, MuNIch, AND DELhI DoRLING KINDERSLEY Senior Editor Project Art Editor Shaila Brown Duncan Turner uS Editor Jacket Designer Jenny Siklós Laura Brim Jacket Editor Pre-production Producer Maud Whatley Lucy Sims Jacket Design Development Manager Managing Art Editor Sophia M.T.T. Michelle Baxter Managing Editor Senior Producer Angeles Gavira Guerrero Alice Sykes Associate Publishing Director Publisher Liz Wheeler Sarah Larter Publishing Director Art Director Jonathan Metcalf Philip Ormerod DK INDIA Project Editor Senior Art Editor Dharini Ganesh Mahua Mandal Editor Assistant Art Editors Neha Pande Kanika Mittal, Anjali Sachar Assistant Editors Managing Art Editor Sneha Sunder Benjamin, Sonia Yooshing Sudakshina Basu Managing Editor DTP Designer Rohan Sinha Shanker Prasad Senior DTP Designer Pre-production Manager Neeraj Bhatia Balwant Singh Production Manager Picture Researcher Pankaj Sharma Sumedha Chopra coNSuLTANT Jeremy F. Jacobs, Collections Manager, Division of Amphibians and Reptiles, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution First American Edition, 2014 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 4th floor, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 14 15 16 17 18 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001—211367—Aug/2014 Copyright © 2014 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 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Discover more at www.dk.com US_004-005_Imprints_Contents.indd 4 07/07/2014 12:51 CONTENTS IntroductIon Turtles and tortoises 200 What are reptiles and amphibians? 8 Crocodilians 223 Habitat and distribution 10 Tuataras 223 Feeding 12 AmbhIbIAns Defense 14 Salamanders 234 Reproduction 16 Caecilians 234 Conservation 18 Frogs and toads 252 reptIles Snakes 22 Glossary 338 Lizards 124 Index 342 Worm lizards 125 Acknowledgments 351 how the specIes profIles work key e Distribution profile family f order common name information name Habitat b Length Reproduction 214 turtles | EmydidaE turtles | TEsTUdinidaE 215 efbPr ECwePsSoth.lo.si r dNfenaeeelndaoiwl lldsmr4yht, e 3 Nhsie⁄d4n, r–.r At ea1aSrmno2ion ddiuean utrlg ahic(ce1k eaA2sed ,–mds a3ietn0crd chi cm eas); , k E5DLeg–iua2grs2-nlta aCylionngcern mcoabarsrackpuinarcgees w obitneh ct oahgmee e itidtitsnhois fsee fiubt cxrageautnhradlettu i lacmyftota iefrreure dlpalyc rtps oeottaogdratcnuaroletigiizoksharee,sb’ s pmlt eoaca atwbktreraiinetrphnaga k, ci tie n t o. efb P r SDSEoh.gr yMfeg -lfilalo laudryepaein gstgatos 1c6a irn (40 cm) k 3DC–riui1tr2incpfeaaraaolllclmyeh E l itsnnhmeedso ac orneatnghdte iesarcrte euod tfe • NoAVrecu ntemiogvbmegesor uosf broods yellow stripes pahllieme aybdes l alaonrwde k IUCN Red List status Yahbaallalesosav olnctleh ogkh e y wats ehnvp leelamoo mntwpasere irocsa kshkmloiu napingnnglggaedse snt stlhtert oeysgn, es et.lslhdo wegwseit essh .t t rsTuiophrtmeelesyes pale yellow plastron scientific name of similar sPecies Trachemys scripta similar sPecies Astrochelys radiata very smooth carapace Yellow-bellied slider slightly conical scutes radiated tortoise the main species this widespread turtle occurs in many different the radiated tortoise is one of the most attractive guises, some of which are recognized as subspecies. species in the world. The heavily constructed high-domed aside from being smaller, male yellow-bellied sliders are shell is marked with striking pale lines that radiate from Ppsaoraiecmi tnbaetrw)ei gUdhhs ettueruerar lioltnyln e jh u iat(vsCse hsnrheriledyel sslm,e wamrhkyicisnh g s aoctohllfnas e hwot seh sdired .ad ierOru ksfrfe ritonoerfg nn in ht c s eofceeruo eehrlnotte s raabh rtdaihep s wa mktnohin u ittlghciec,he kst lhlfweoee inmtmshgeaeme l trefui.en sTrm gtahl aenbelsdaye c ’autskhr sceweeh as citnorhlda -aecw insansedl l f e r do nt i(sbnGloidgeldhioaetclnryh m ssemtalaorakrnlrilneeeg rde sa l tenodgr athonaisss) e tstsahemkeaTea sch loulei,nsp nw , s ttfoipeet herme c oimgaifelh eoests ramf eelca oehryond dtutshha neosrdik nrte o essd gcuh guscashtctec euinh.ll le .ash nT toth thtl eevhas eehn,g a aeettnhnctadohdt ls tiionohefgne ost ,e hf ia ngeargc edwls uuv ecdletatirs nny.g because of their habit of sliding into the water the pads of the introduced prickly pear, Opuntia, and can at the slightest disturbance. live for well over 100 years. it has, however, been hunted Breeding usually takes by people for food, and its present range is only a small place in spring and summer. portion of what it used to be. more recently, it has also The time of nesting, however, been collected for the pet trade, despite being protected. depends on the climate at Breeding programs in madagascar and in other countries any given locality—the eggs are helping to increase numbers, but releasing them into omwyefh aateyhrr eofeu avnresot rhtrwhetherin eyst rohenuar p ttichnoh. pt htuhelae tn sioeansmts,e r(TirsTehe .diisdds .s e -detenrilsatiepitrfiiegene acddbnt e ibtvshuye)i nr astd ulp eibrt sos pmeeyicneiese.nst tish ein w pilladc we.ill not be effective until adequate protection subspecies or variation similar species of main species US_004-005_Imprints_Contents.indd 5 07/07/2014 12:51 US_006-007_Gen_Intro_Ope.indd 6 26/03/14 3:32 PM introduction US_006-007_Gen_Intro_Ope.indd 7 26/03/14 3:32 PM 8 inTroduCTion what are reptiles and amphibians? Although reptiles and amphibians belong to two distinct taxonomic groups, they are traditionally studied together: they tend to be found in the same places, and methods for finding and collecting them are often similar. ThermoregulATion Reptiles and amphibians depend on their surroundings for heat, and thermoregulation is key to understanding many aspects of their lives. They cannot, for example, feed, escape predators, or reproduce unless their body is at a suitable temperature. Many reptiles shuttle from warm to cool places to maintain an even temperature in the range of 86–104° F (30–40° C); amphibians prefer cooler conditions and rarely bask. Both groups avoid extremes of temperature by hibernating during extended periods of cold or by estivating to avoid Basking lethally hot temperatures. Aquatic Many reptiles, such as this young Australian water dragon, bask in the sun to regulate their and burrowing species adapt to the body temperature. When warm, they retreat to ambient temperature. the shade to stop themselves from overheating. ChArACTerisTiCs of repTiles openings. Snakes and lizards use their Reptiles are tailed, scaly vertebrates with tongue to pick up scent molecules from two, four, or no limbs. The scales may be their surroundings and transfer them smooth, keeled, or granular, and may to the Jacobson’s organ in the roof of overlap or be arranged next to each their mouth. Some snakes also have other. Turtles have a bony shell covered heat-detecting pits. As a group, reptiles with modified scales, or scutes. All may be terrestrial, aquatic, arboreal, reptiles have ears but only some lizards burrowing, or marine, and are globally and crocodilians have visible external ear distributed, aside from the poles. Typical snake The Santa Cruz garter snake is a terrestrial species that is equally at home in the water. It is an alert diurnal hunter. US_008-009-What_are_Reptiles_and_Amphibians.indd 8 26/03/14 3:25 PM