Common features of iguana and fox. Post iguana according to the plan description of the structural features of the habitat gp interesting facts. Characteristic features of the green iguana
Iguanas are huge lizards. The iguana family includes 70 genera and 600 species distributed almost exclusively in the Western Hemisphere, from southern Canada in the north to southern Argentina in the south, including some islands off the coast of South and North America. Few representatives are found off the coast of Africa, on the islands of Fiji and Tongo.
Perhaps no other group of modern lizards has such a variety of life forms and associated differences in body structure as iguanas. Their coloration depends on the way of life and is subject to significant variability from temperature, brightness of light or the nature of the soil.
Most iguanas are carnivores, feeding on insects, spiders, worms, etc. Some, larger ones, also eat small vertebrates, mainly lizards. Only a relatively few species, such as the common iguana, feed almost exclusively on plant foods as adults.
For more than two years I have been interested in lizards, reading special literature, observing and trying to keep these amazing, exotic animals at home. During this time, an iguana named Kuzya became my devoted friend. If you are interested in these animals, and you decide to have them at home, you should read the recommendations for their content.
An iguana terrarium should mimic the conditions of a tropical rainforest while remaining clean, ventilated and easy to maintain. For a young lizard, a 100-150 liter aquarium is suitable for the first time. Instead of an airtight hood, a metal mesh cover should be installed. It is advisable to use a stainless mesh in the terrarium should be constantly wet, and for air exchange, drill a few more holes in the side walls. For heating, an incandescent lamp is installed in the terrarium.
For a young iguana, it is necessary to have two lamps - for daytime and night heating, and three thermometers located in different places (in the coldest, directly under the lamp, and at the maximum distance from the lamp). By changing the power of the lamps, it is necessary to ensure that the first thermometer shows 31-35 ° C, the second 27-28 ° C, and the third not less than 25 ° C. For heating at night, it is better to use colored lamps that will not cause continuous activity of the animal, which adversely affects its health and prevents the owners from sleeping.
Iguanas feel most comfortable on the branches, so the terrarium should have branches of different thicknesses inside. The places where the cuts of branches are attached to the walls of the terrarium must be carefully lapped and fixed, since getting into the gap of a finger or tail is the most common cause of their injury or separation. In order for lizards to feel comfortable, they need to prepare a shelter where they can hide. In addition to the branches in the terrarium, it is necessary to place shelves for rest, ropes for climbing.
The terrarium can be planted with some plants with dense, hard leaves, after covering the ground with large stones. The soil should be as hygroscopic as possible, chemically inert, not loose, not soaking, not dusty, and therefore hygienic. The terrarium must be kept perfectly clean at all times. For disinfection, low-toxic iodophors can be used and washed with laundry soap feeders and drinkers at least twice a week.
For the normal development of an iguana at home, they need to receive moisture from several sources and independently regulate the water balance. Reptiles get moisture from food, while drinking, and through the skin while bathing. Many iguanas do not know how to drink from a drinker. In order for them to start drinking, they must see the movement of a liquid or the reflection of light on the surface of the water. The parameters described for keeping iguanas at home are suitable for young lizards, as the animal grows, the terrarium is selected larger and some environmental conditions change.
Considering that under the right conditions, iguanas can easily live for more than 15 years, one would think that they should become as common as dogs and cats. But an adult iguana is a rare phenomenon, causing surprise and curiosity. The reason is the difficulty of keeping these animals. Unfortunately, most beginner reptile hobbyists, especially iguanas, don't get into the details of their biological maintenance until the animals need veterinary help. Most often this happens quite quickly, when the animal can no longer be saved. Do not repeat the mistakes of others, and good luck to you.
Source: Ordinary or green iguana: features of keeping at home//Zooforum. - 2006. No. - 1
Task 26.
Choose signs of aerobic cellular respiration.
1. Oxygen is absorbed, which eventually becomes part of the water
2. Oxygen is absorbed, which eventually becomes part of glucose
3. Carbon dioxide is released
4. Carbon dioxide is absorbed
5. Many processes occur on the inner membrane of mitochondria
6. All processes occur in solution, membranes do not participate in them
The correct answer is 135.
Task 27.
Select common features of iguana and fox.
1. Two circles of blood circulation
2. There are eyelids and lacrimal glands
3. There is a cloaca
4. Unstable body temperature
5. Teeth are differentiated
6. Have a liver and pancreas
The correct answer is 126.
Task 28.
Select the conditions under which the allele frequencies in the population
Select the conditions under which allele frequencies in a population remain constant over many generations.
1. The population has a large number
2. Genetic drift occurs in a population
3. No inflow and outflow of genes from other populations
4. The mutation rate is high
5. Free random crossing takes place in the population
6. A population is subject to motive selection.
The correct answer is 135.
Task 29.
Establish a correspondence between the organism and its characteristics.
Signs of the body
A. Seeds lie on scales
B. One sperm and one egg are involved in fertilization
B. Pollen settles on the ovules
D. The embryo has two cotyledons
D. The pollen tube grows inside the style and moves towards the ovary
E. Bisexual flowers
organism
1. Forest pine
2. Bird cherry
The correct answer is 111222.
Task 30.
Establish a correspondence between the organs of the human digestive system and their functions.
Functions of the digestive system
A. Produces bile
B. Produces digestive enzymes
B. Stores glycogen
D. Secretes insulin
D. Neutralizes poisons absorbed in the intestines
E. Participates in the destruction of red blood cells
Organs of the digestive system
1. Liver
2. Pancreas
The correct answer is 121211.
Task 31.
Establish a correspondence between a group of substances and its characteristics.
Characteristics of a group of substances
A. Usually not synthesized in the body
B. Act as coenzymes
B. Act as enzymes
G. Split in the stomach and intestines
D. Do not cause an immune response when injected into the blood
E. One kind of molecules of these substances can participate in only one type of reaction
Substance group name
1. Proteins
2. Vitamins
The correct answer is 221121.
Task 32.
Establish a correspondence between the habitat and characteristic adaptations animals to live in it.
Characteristic adaptations
A. Anaerobic metabolism
B. Increased fertility
B. Change of owners in the development cycle
D. Development of the skeleton
D. Presence of sweat glands
E. Direct development
Habitat
1. Animal intestines
2. Ground-air environment
The correct answer is 111222.
Task 33.
Establish a chronological sequence of events in the evolution of the biosphere.
1. The emergence of coacervates
2. Emergence of prokaryotes
3. The emergence of arthropods
4. The beginning of the colonization of land by higher plants
5. Emergence of eukaryotes
6. The emergence of active flight
The correct answer is 125346.
Task 34.
Give examples of organisms life cycle which have a sexual and asexual generation. Name their stages of development.
The correct answer is that mosses, ferns, jellyfish, etc. can be examples of organisms in which alternation of generations occurs. In plants, the gametophyte and sporophyte change. Scyphoid jellyfish alternate between polyp and medusa stages.
Task 35.
Which substance is shown in the figure? What is indicated by the numbers 1 and 2 and what are the functions of these departments?
The correct answer is that the figure shows a diagram of a tRNA molecule. 1 - anticodon. Recognizes the complementary codon on mRNA during translation. 2 - acceptor end, to which a certain amino acid is attached, delivered to the ribosomes.
Task 36.
Find errors in the given text. Specify the numbers of proposals in which they are allowed, explain them.
1. Proteins are non-regulatory biopolymers whose monomers are nucleotides.
2. Remains of monomers are interconnected by peptide bonds.
3. The sequence of monomers held by these bonds forms the primary structure of the protein molecule.
4. The next structure is secondary, held by weak hydrophobic chemical bonds.
5. The tertiary structure of a protein is a twisted molecule in the form of a globule (ball).
6. This structure is held by hydrogen bonds.
The correct answer is that mistakes were made in sentences 1, 4, 6.
Suggestion 1 - Protein monomers are amino acids.
Suggestion 4 - The secondary structure of a protein is held together by hydrogen bonds.
Suggestion 6 - The tertiary structure of a protein is held together by hydrophobic bonds.
Task 37.
Why are bovine tapeworm and pork tapeworm dangerous for humans?
Task 38.
Compare the circulatory system of fish and amphibians. What conclusions can be drawn from this comparison?
The correct answer is that fish have a two-chambered heart and one circle of blood circulation. Amphibians have a three-chambered heart and two circulations. Amphibians have partially mixed blood in their hearts, while fish have venous blood in their hearts. The second (pulmonary) circulation, along with the development of the lungs, provided amphibians with the opportunity to live on land.
Task 39.
A gene fragment consists of 40 nucleotides in each strand. Determine the number of hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases of this fragment, if it is known that 4 adenyl nucleotides, 7 thymidine, 4 cytyl and 5 guanyl nucleotides are sequentially located in the upper chain of the gene. Construct a double-stranded fragment of this gene.
The correct answer is that since there are two hydrogen bonds between thymidyl and adenyl nucleotides, there are 22 such bonds in total.
Since three hydrogen bonds are formed between the cytidyl and guanyl nucleotides, there are 27 such bonds in total.
Fragment of the gene AAAATTTTTTTTTCCCCGYYYY
TTTTAAAAAAAGGGGCCCC contains 49 hydrogen bonds.
Task 40.
A color-blind man, who has a second blood group and is heterozygous for this trait, married a woman - a carrier of the gene for color blindness, who has the first blood group. Determine the genotypes of the parents, the probability of the birth of color-blind children with the first blood group and the genotypes of the parents who will have children with the indicated characteristics, as well as the law by which the indicated characteristics are inherited.
Correct answer - parents: father IAI0XdY x mother I0I0XDXd
Gametes: IAXd, IAY, I0Xd, I0Y x I0XD, I0Xd
F1: I0I0XdXd - girls with the first blood type, color blind
I0I0XdY - boys with the first blood type, color blind
The probability of the birth of boys and girls with the first blood group, color blind (together) 25%.
The law of independent inheritance of traits (G. Mendel's 3rd law).
Iguana- This large sizes a lizard belonging to the class of reptiles. Some species of these animals are impressive in size, reaching a length of just under two meters, and a weight of 5 to 9 kg.
To iguana features include: scaly skin, as well as coarse folds, spines and spines, and in some cases a sharp ridge on the back, which (as seen in iguana photo) gives the lizards an exotic look and makes them look like prehistoric reptiles.
The size of the scales can be very different, and the strongest of them cover the head of the lizard. The color of animals depends on the variety, as well as on many other reasons, having the ability to change depending on the mood and even the state of health. It can be as gloomy tones: gray or dark blue, green, as well as brighter shades: reddish orange and brown.
The blue spiny iguana, less than 30 cm long, has white and black stripes on its neck, and its skin is covered with light spots. The iguana is an interesting animal, in addition to its impressive antediluvian appearance, it has many other amazing features.
In the lower eyelid of the reptile there is a transparent window, which makes it possible for the iguana to see the environment even if the creature closes its eyes. And if for some reason an animal loses a tooth, a new one can grow in this place. Iguanas have well-developed paws, and fingers have claws. The language of many species of these animals is also unique and is able to analyze smells.
The blue iguana is considered a very rare species of green iguana.
These reptiles are residents of the American continent, but also iguanas live and on some tropical islands, preferring areas with warm and humid climate.
The species of these reptiles are each adapted to their habitat. For example, the tree-dwelling iguana is equipped with special hooks on its limbs that allow it to freely climb trees.
The sand iguana has adapted by hiding from danger, burrowing into the sand, and at the highest speed. The marine iguana has special nasal glands, with the help of which it gets rid of excess salt in the body. There are also rocky, semi-aquatic, steppe and other types of iguanas.
sand iguana
The nature and lifestyle of the iguana
Of the varieties of lizard, green and sea lizards are the most impressive in size. green iguana- a huge reptile, considered the largest representative of this species of animals.
It can be distinguished from others by the crest of spines that runs the length of its body, from head to tail. The life of this animal mainly takes place in the trees, and the lizard descends from them only to fight with its own brethren for the territory that the iguanas defend with great bitterness and tenacity.
But the nature of these frightening-looking animals is not always so bad. iguana lifestyle quite peaceful, and this creature is not particularly dangerous.
The green iguana is the largest of the species.
But she has quite insidious enemies. In nature, it can be large and, as well as some species. But the most terrible enemy of these reptiles is a person who exterminates lizards because of juicy meat and high-quality leather, which is convenient to use for the manufacture of numerous types of haberdashery and other items that are useful in everyday life and are design elements.
Many species of iguanas are quite shy, and settling near water bodies, if there is even a slight danger, they are ready to jump into the water recklessly. But some of them are skilled swimmers.
And, diving deep, reptiles are able to survive without air for half an hour. The marine iguana, more than its other relatives, has successfully mastered aquatic environment, feeling there no worse than a fish, deftly wielding its tail and tucking its paws under it.
The marine iguana can stay underwater for up to half an hour.
This variety also looks impressive, it can be up to 1 m 70 cm long, but it does not pose any danger, and simply loves salt baths. Some of the lizards are so peaceful, but they allow themselves to be tamed.
And many exotic lovers keep such reptiles at home. blue iguana- a small lizard, has an impressive, very beautiful color, as if attracting the eye. iguana price is 25,000 rubles.
However, it is better to keep in mind that such a cute and harmless creature can give the owners a lot of trouble with proper maintenance and placement. The animal can be purchased with terrarium for iguana that will provide her with the most comfortable conditions.
Keeping a pretty little dragon at home is becoming more and more fashionable, so the number of people who want to keep large green iguanas is growing rapidly.
Home iguana care involves daily heating of the body with a special lamp, since this type of reptile, being cold-blooded, is accustomed to a tropical climate and is in dire need of a strict temperature regime.
Buy iguana there is an opportunity from the breeder, in nurseries, reptile clubs and via the Internet, in many cases delivery of the animal is also provided.
Iguana food
Primarily iguanas eat food of plant origin. Depending on the habitat, these can be cacti, a variety of flowers and other plants.
A pet iguana is usually fed in the morning, and uneaten food is removed after a while so that it does not turn sour. Pets also need to change the water regularly and keep it clean. Animals need more than just plant foods.
However, the diet iguanas at home requires sufficient calcium and phosphorus. It should consist of fruits and vegetables, as well as some grains, herbs and mineral additives.
Reproduction and life span of the iguana
Varieties animal iguana differ in the way they reproduce. Most iguanas are oviparous, but in special cases, some species are able to give birth to live cubs.
Green iguanas become capable of raising offspring at the age of two, in some cases - three years. And their relationship with a partner usually occurs in the autumn. During the mating season, iguanas often show intolerance and aggression.
They start fierce battles with rivals for the attention of their chosen ones. Their actions obey certain laws and resemble a kind of ritual. Even the movements of animals are extremely interesting for their peculiarities. Males during battles exchange signs with each other: sharp tail blows and bows.
Future iguana mothers in the struggle for offspring are also no less aggressive and decisive. Most species of these reptiles lay their eggs in the ground, and in the struggle for a convenient territory for this, they are able to fight with anyone.
baby iguana
One clutch can contain up to six eggs. And green iguanas often lay dozens of them. The cubs hatch after three months. Small reptiles constantly molt, but with age, this process occurs less and less.
Iguanas can live up to ten, and with home maintenance often up to 15 years of age. However, provide good care such lizards are not at all easy. And sometimes it happens that animals do not live even half of the prescribed period. In most cases, this happens due to non-compliance with the temperature regime and the correct diet.
AT recent times exotic animals have become popular as pets. Instead of the usual fish, parrots and turtles, moms and dads buy giant spiders, snakes, and lizards for their children. Animal iguana is also included in the list of beloved pets.
Those who have ever seen an iguana in a pet store probably know that she seems to be thinking about something all the time: she will freeze in one position and only occasionally blink her eyes. And how does this animal behave in the wild? What does it eat and where does it live?
The common iguana, also called the green iguana, is a reptile belonging to the squamous order, the iguana family.
What does a green iguana look like?
Among all members of its family, the common iguana is the largest. The length of her body can reach 1.5 meters, while an adult weighs, on average, 7 kilograms.
The body of the animal has a varied color, despite the name "green". The common iguana can be bluish, lavender, pink, red, bluish, and even black. The iguana is a cold-blooded animal. Therefore, it is very susceptible to temperature changes.
As for the sense organs of this reptile, we can note excellent hearing, acute vision in bright light. In addition to two eyes, the head of the animal is also equipped with a third, located on the top of the head. Thanks to this eye (it looks like a white scale), the iguana catches the approach of the enemy in time and hides. The iguana is an excellent swimmer, a rather flexible tail helps her in this. The tail also serves as a defensive weapon - with it the animal inflicts heavy blows on the enemy.
To say that iguanas are only green is impossible. Their coloration can be very varied. Where do common iguanas live?
The habitat of this animal is quite wide. The green iguana is found almost throughout Latin America, in some countries of South America (for example, in Brazil), and also inhabits some US states. In addition, this representative of the iguana family got along well in the Caribbean.
iguana lifestyle
The green iguana is an arboreal animal: most of its life takes place on trees. For its residence, it chooses tropical rainforests, tree thickets, but it is also found on open sea coasts.
Active during the daytime. When the weather becomes inclement, the iguana will come down to the ground and spend time there, this helps him to better maintain the temperature balance of his body.
What does the tree iguana eat?
The common iguana is an exclusively herbivore. As food, she chooses shoots, flowers and fruits of plants growing in tropical zones.
iguana breeding
The mating season for these reptiles begins in January - February. At this time, males become quite aggressive; in the fight for a female, iguana fights can often be observed, although in ordinary life this animal is quite peaceful.
65 days after mating, the female digs a deep hole and lays 20 to 70 eggs in it. Eggs have a soft but very durable shell. After 3 - 4 months (if the temperature for the entire incubation period was 30 - 32 degrees), small iguana cubs are born. Outwardly, they are very similar to adult iguanas, differing only in size. Cubs are quite independent. But for the first year of their lives, all hatched “babies” try to keep together in order to be able to defend themselves from enemy attacks. In the third - fourth year of their lives, iguana cubs reach full maturity, including sexual maturity.
Scientists have noted that in the natural environment, animals are able to live only up to 8 years, while as pet An iguana can live two and a half times longer.
Perhaps no other group of modern lizards has such a variety of life forms and associated differences in body structure as iguanas. Among them we meet many forest, shrub, mountain, rocky, desert, steppe and semi-aquatic species with well-defined features of specialization. A common feature for all iguanas are very different shaped pleurodont teeth attached to the inside of the jaws, in connection with which a strongly elongated lamellar bone reaches a special development in the lower jaw. As a rule, teeth are also present on the pterygoid, and in some cases, on the palatine bones. The size and shape of the teeth largely depend on the nature of the diet. In herbivorous species, they are multi-pointed and noticeably compressed from the sides, in those that feed mainly on ants or termites, they are blunt, without additional peaks, and in lizards that eat hard insects, the teeth are pointed in the form of a needle. A broken or lost tooth is replaced by a new one, and this change continues throughout the life of the lizard.
Iguanas have fully developed eyes with movable eyelids; in some species, the lower eyelid is equipped with a transparent window, allowing the lizard to see well with its eyes closed. Perhaps such a window acts as a "sunglasses", reducing the brightness of the light.
According to the shape and structure of the body, iguanas can be divided into two main types, connected by intermediate transitions. The first of them is characterized by a relatively high, laterally compressed body, turning into a long, noticeably laterally flattened tail. This form is predominantly tree species and finds its extreme expression in representatives of the South American genus Polychrus, who spend almost their entire lives in the crowns of trees. Lizards of the second type have a more or less disk-shaped flattened body and, with a few exceptions, live on the ground.
The largest members of the family, such as the South American Iguana iguana, reach almost two meters in length, while the size of the small North American Uma inor-nata does not exceed 10-12 cm.
The head of iguanas is usually covered with numerous irregularly shaped scutes, while the back is dressed with extremely diverse scales, often transformed into various kinds of horny spikes, teeth, tubercles, and others. similar formations. In many species, various, often very bizarre skin outgrowths and folds develop on the body. Representatives of some genera are characterized by a more or less high toothed crest running along the back and continuing on the tail, usually more pronounced in males. The well-developed legs of iguanas are in all cases equipped with five toes ending in claws, which in arboreal forms often reach considerable length. In representatives of the genus Anolis, the fingers, like in geckos, are expanded from below into special attachment plates with transverse rows of tiny tenacious brushes that help the animal to hold on and move along smooth vertical surfaces. In some desert species, the fingers are equipped on the sides with "sand skis" - scallops of elongated horn teeth.
The color of iguanas is very diverse. Tree species that conduct most time among the foliage, they are usually painted in green tones, and their pattern often resembles the transverse veins of the leaves, as in the South American Polychrus marmoratus. Desert and rock-dwelling iguanas are color coded surrounding area, and this coloration is subject to considerable variability even among individuals of the same species and depends on the nature of the soil on which they live. Many are able to quickly change color depending on the temperature or brightness of the light. This ability is especially strongly developed in some arboreal iguanas of the genus Anolis, which in this connection received the name of American chameleons.
In many species, males, especially during the breeding season, are much brighter than females.
It has long been noted that great resemblance iguanas with lizards of the agam family common in the eastern hemisphere. Among the representatives of both families there are whole genera and certain types, surprisingly reminiscent of each other both in appearance as well as lifestyle.
Most iguanas are among the very mobile lizards. Arboreal species, thanks to their long legs with tenacious clawed fingers, quickly run along the trunks and branches of trees and make swift jumps from branch to branch. Found in the Antilles, representatives of the genera Xiphocercus and Chamaeleolis have a prehensile tail that helps them stay on branches. All terrestrial species are good runners, and some are able to run considerable distances on their hind legs at great speed. Found in Cuba ground iguana Anolis vermiculatus, living along the banks of streams, in case of danger plunges into the water and hides there under stones. A few desert forms, such as representatives of the North American genus Uma, can dive into loose sand and move quite quickly - "swim" - under its surface. Semi-aquatic forms, such as marine iguana Amblyrhynchus cristatus swim and dive well, using a strong oar-like flattened tail to move through the water.
True burrowing species among iguanas are few, and only a few of them, like the Brazilian Hoplocercus spinosus, dig quite long burrows with their claws, in which they hide from enemies and bad weather. Other iguanas use the burrows of rodents or other animals for this purpose.
Most iguanas are predators, feeding on insects, spiders, centipedes, worms, etc. Some larger ones also eat small vertebrates, mainly lizards. Only relatively few species, such as common iguana(Iguana iguana), as an adult, feed almost exclusively on plant foods. desert iguana(Dipsosaurus dorsalis), along with the plants that make up its main diet, also eats insects and small lizards. Some show a narrow food specialization, feeding almost exclusively on ants, like toad lizards (Phrynosoma), or seaweed, like the marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus).
The behavior of iguanas is extremely characteristic of a peculiar shaking of the head from top to bottom, usually produced during some kind of excitement, for example, during fights between males with each other, when guarding a site, meeting with an enemy, etc. By the nature of these movements, different individuals of the same species, so as well as lizards of different sexes, they are able to distinguish each other at a distance.
The vast majority of iguanas breed by laying eggs, the number of which ranges from 1-2 (in some anoles) to 35 or more (in toad-like lizards). Eggs are laid in the ground, which is also characteristic of arboreal species descending from trees for this. Relatively few iguanas are viviparous. Oviparous birth is associated with life in harsh climatic conditions, for example, in the mountains, as in representatives of the genus Liolaemus.
The meat and eggs of large iguanas are eaten, and the skin is used to make various handicrafts. In the United States and Mexico, many species of these lizards are protected by law.
The family unites about 50 genera and over 700 species distributed almost exclusively in the Western Hemisphere, from southern Canada in the north to southern Argentina in the south, including some islands off the coast of South and North America.
Only a few representatives of the genera Chalarodon and Oplurus are found off the coast of Africa in Madagascar, and the only species of the genus Brachylophus is found on the islands of Fiji and Tonga (Polynesia).
One of the most common and widespread groups of iguanas are the numerous species of the genus Anolis. Most of them are characterized by a triangular, widened rear head, a slender, moderately laterally compressed body with four well-developed legs, of which the hind legs are noticeably longer than the front ones, and a long, gradually thinning tail. The body is covered with small uniform scales, among which, along the ridge and the upper side of the tail, there is often a low ridge of larger triangular scales. In males of many species, the overgrown throat skin hangs down in the form of a fan-shaped throat pouch supported by rod-shaped cartilages. A distinctive feature of the genus is also the presence on the underside of the fingers of extended plates with transverse rows of attachment brushes covered with tiny hook-shaped hairs. Therefore, anoles, like geckos, are easily held on smooth vertical surfaces, in particular on leaves. Most species do not exceed 10-20 cm in length, and only a few reach a size of 45 cm or more. The color of anoles is extremely variable. As a rule, brownish and green tones predominate in it, however, when the animal is excited, as well as under the influence of temperature and light, the color can change amazingly quickly, successively acquiring all tones from dark brown to bright green. In many species, the throat pouch is especially brightly colored, the colors of which are dominated by yellow, orange or red tones, and in some cases a bright blue spot is located on the general reddish-yellow background.
Majority anoles leads tree image life, and only a few stay on the ground. Many, like geckos, settle on the walls of buildings and in human dwellings. Each male usually has a relatively small hunting area, which vigorously defends against other individuals, entering into a fight with numerous neighbors if they appear in the occupied territory. It should be noted that anoles are much more intolerant of other iguanas towards each other, which is especially evident in the behavior of males, which rarely meet without a fight. This remark, borrowed from Darwin, refers to one of the South American species, but it can equally be applied to most of the other representatives of the genus.
, ,
Anoles feed on various insects and small invertebrates, which they seize with amazing dexterity on the leaves and branches of trees, and sometimes in the air, making swift and accurate jumps. All anoles are oviparous. Eggs in the amount of 1-6 they lay in the ground, less often in a hollow or in dense clusters of bromeliads, settling in the forks of tree trunks.
About 200 species of this genus - almost a third of all known iguanas - are widely distributed mainly in Central America, to Southern Brazil in the south, and only two species are found in the USA, reaching North Carolina in the north.
Bright, changeable color, endless fuss and relentless fights started by anoles in the crowns of trees, on hedges, in bushes and on the walls of buildings, constantly attract the attention of a person and make these lizards one of the attractions of the animal world of the American tropics.
One of the best known species of the genus is North American red-throated anole(Anolis carolinensis). Its color is highly variable: all stages of transition can be observed from yellow and bright brown to bright green above and brown or silvery white below. The strongly developed throat pouch of males is bright red. The red-throated anole is a small lizard reaching 20-25 cm along with the tail.
During the breeding season, brightly colored green males, inflating the red throat pouch protruding forward and strongly squeezing the body from the sides, flaunt their outfit, entering into fierce fights when they meet. At first, they slowly circle in place for some time, trying to stay sideways to the enemy and opening their mouths to intimidate. Further, breaking away from their place, they rush towards each other and, having grappled into a ball, soon roll down from the branch to the ground, where they scatter to the sides or, having returned to the former battlefield, continue the battle. More often, however, after the first fight, the weaker male takes to flight, often devoid of a tail and bleeding. There are cases when such tournaments ended even with the death of one of the opponents.
In June - July, the female, descending from a tree, digs a shallow hole with her front legs, into which she lays 1-2 eggs, covering them with loose earth. The young hatch after 6-7 weeks and, having got to the surface, they immediately climb trees, where they stay together for the first time, separately from adults.
Of the other numerous species of this genus, we note the one found in Cuba anole a-knight(Anolis equestris), which is unusually large for these lizards, reaching almost half a meter in length, of which two-thirds fall on the tail.
Brazilian leaf-nosed anole(A. phyllorhinus) is interesting in that it has a flat, scaly outgrowth far protruding forward at the end of the muzzle, giving it a very unusual appearance for these lizards.
close to anoles genus of false chameleons represented by the only Cuban species (Chamaeleolis chamaleontides) that really resembles chameleons not only in its variability in color, but also in the shape of the head, eyes and prehensile tail.
Representatives kind of basilisks(Basiliscus) are well distinguished in appearance from other iguanas by the presence of peculiar leathery ornaments in males, giving them an extraordinary and even some kind of fabulous look. On the back of the head of these rather large lizards, there is a large, backward-directed skin outgrowth, like a flat helmet, and a high leathery crest runs along the back and front third of the long oar-shaped tail, supported by highly developed spinous processes of the vertebrae. On the outer surface of the toes of the hind legs, both males and females have a scaly border. Four known species inhabit the countries of Central America, living in thickets along the banks of tropical rivers. Found in Panama and Costa Rica helmeted basilisk (Basiliscus basiliscus), reaching 80 cm in length, like other species of this genus, swims and dives excellently, and has a remarkable ability to run on water, keeping its body on the surface with rapidly alternating strokes of the hind legs. An excellent description of a basilisk running through the water is given by the American zoologist A. Karr: “It was a basilisk - green as a lettuce, with bright eyes, a male about fourteen inches in length ... losing balance, he fell like a stone into a black river, immediately plunged into water, but after a moment he found himself on the surface and ran through the water. He carried his front paws in front of him, his tail bent upwards, and with his hind legs he thrashed the surface of the water at the speed of a machine gun. The speed of the spanking was so significant that the lizard did not sink. Before we could figure out how he does it, the basilisk reached land, climbed onto the shore and darted through the branches ... "
Similarly, relying only on their hind legs, basilisks are able to run quickly on land, sometimes on high speed even while flying some distance through the air.
Mexican striped basilisk(Basiliscus vittatus) in late April - early May, females lay 12-18 eggs, "burying them in a hole somewhere near the roots of trees or in a bush.
Among the most characteristic South American lizards are iguanas of the genus Liolaemus, about 50 species of which are widely distributed from Peru in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south. Peruvian Variable Iguana(Liolaemus multiformis) is perhaps the only South American species that lives in a harsh mountain climate at altitudes up to 5000 m above sea level. On the high plateaus in the Cordillera, where this small lizard lives, snow often falls even in the summer months and the temperature on the soil surface drops to almost zero at night. Life in such unusual conditions for reptiles is possible only due to the ability developed in this species to crawl at a body temperature of only about 1.5 ° above zero, which is completely unthinkable for all other lizards that lose mobility at much higher temperatures. Slowly crawling out of their burrows, iguanas reach sunlit areas of the soil and in a short time heat up to 35-37 °, and the difference between the temperature of the body and the surrounding air is sometimes 30 ° or more.
They feed on insects that are few in number at such heights, as well as on the succulent parts of plants. Like many mountain reptiles, iguanas of this species are ovoviviparous. Approximately six months after mating in April - in September - December, the female gives birth to 1-10 young. Thanks to such a long incubation period newborn iguanas are born at the most climatically favorable time of the year.
Several types of North American desert iguanas genus Crotaphitus is distinguished by its beauty and brightness of color. In C. collaris, common in the southwestern United States and in adjacent areas of Mexico, males are yellowish, light orange or greenish-gray on top with small light eyes and five or six weakly expressed lighter narrow transverse stripes. At the level of the front paws, not reaching the middle of the back, on each side of the body there is a bright black transverse collar trimmed with whitish or yellowish lines. The head is light gray or whitish dorsally with small dark spots scattered in disarray. The forelegs are bright blue-green in color, while the hind legs are bluish-gray with light spots.
It is characteristic that, depending on the direction of the incident light, the general coloration of the body can change noticeably, similar to how it happens on the wings of some bright diurnal butterflies.
Other species of this genus are similarly brightly colored.
The most numerous group of North American lizards are fence, or prickly, iguanas genus Sceloporus. All of them are characterized by a blunt, widened rear head, a rounded stocky body and a cylindrical, gradually tapering tail. Their comparatively large ribbed scales, on a loosely adjoining posterior margin, are provided with more or less upturned spines, especially pronounced on the tail. These small and medium-sized lizards are painted in a very diverse way. Some have a rather variegated coloration with an admixture, especially in males, of bright metallic tones, others, on the contrary, are modestly colored, and in most species there is a highly variable pattern of regularly spaced transverse and longitudinal lines and stripes on the back and sides.
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One of the most beautiful and at the same time the most large species- reaching more than half a meter in length, Sceloporus clarki - is distinguished by a magnificent greenish-blue coloration of the underside of the body and hind legs and metallic blue scales on the sides. Another species, Sceloporus magister, has bright yellow spots, and on the blue sides there is a row of large bright blue eyes. Spiny iguanas inhabit very diverse, often dry places, found both in open stony semi-deserts, and on rocks and in bushes in forests. They also settle in fences made of stones and thorny bushes, from where their widespread name comes from - fence iguanas. Spiny iguanas, to a greater extent than other members of the family, have developed a habit of quickly nodding their heads, which is accompanied by simultaneous squats on their front legs. The frequency and sequence of such bows is quite different in different species, which is important. hallmark by which individuals of the same species can recognize each other at a distance. Their food consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, but some diversify their diet with seeds and leaves of plants, and especially large ones also eat small lizards.
During the breeding season, males display a brightly colored body, flaunting luxurious blue-green stripes and eyes on their sides. When they meet, they raise their bodies high on outstretched legs and, slowly stepping, sideways approach each other until the weaker one “cannot stand the nerves” and he takes flight.
Most members of the genus are oviparous, but some give birth to live young. So, in one of the most common species - Sceloporus undulatus - the female lays up to 17 eggs from June to August, from which young ones hatch after 2-2.5 months. At mountain view Sceloporus grammicus in April, after 5-6 months of development, 3-12 young are born. About 54 species of these lizards are widely distributed in North America, predominantly in Mexico and the southern United States.
Among the few iguanas that have adapted to life on loose sands are several species of the North American genus Uma. These lizards have a wedge-shaped head with a noticeably shortened lower jaw, a wide flattened body, and horny scallops along the edges of long toes that prevent feet from sinking into loose sand.
Escaping from persecution, sand iguanas literally in front of our eyes go head first into the sand and move for some time under its surface. At the same time, the nasal passages are tightly clamped with special valves, and the fringed edges of the thick eyelids protect the eyes from clogging with fine sand. The coloration of these lizards also harmonizes well with the sandy surface of the dunes on which they live. So, the most normal look, reaching a length of 23 cm, Uma inor-nata body and tail are covered with a dense network of light gray eyes, sometimes located in indistinct longitudinal rows.
Three known species of this genus occur in sandy deserts Mexico and California in the southwestern United States.
One of the largest iguanas marine iguana(Amblyrhynchus cristatus) reaches 140 cm in length, of which more than half falls on a laterally flattened oar-shaped tail. Its body is covered with small ribbed scales, turning on the tail into large quadrangular keeled scales, located, as on the back, in regular transverse rows. The short and wide head, like a mosaic, is covered with polygonal scales of various sizes, the largest of which are located on the forehead and are noticeably thickened in the form of cone-shaped horny tubercles directed forward.
Along the entire back, continuing to the tip of the tail, there is a low, laterally compressed crest of elongated triangular scales, especially strongly developed behind the head. The fingers are relatively short and strong legs marine iguanas are armed with large curved claws and are connected by a short swimming membrane. Adult animals are brownish-brown, olive-gray or almost black above, with irregularly shaped large blurred spots.
Marine iguanas live only in the Galapagos archipelago off the coast of South America, where they inhabit a narrow coastal strip covered with rocks, without penetrating deep into the islands.
The first reliable observations of these reptiles belong to Darwin, who visited the Galapagos Islands in 1835 while traveling on the Beagle ship. “Sometimes you could see,” writes Darwin, “how they swim a few hundred paces from the shore, and Captain Colnet assures that they swim out into the sea in whole herds for fish or to bask in the sun on the rocks. I believe that he is mistaken in determining their purpose, but the fact itself cannot be disputed. In the water, the animal swims extremely easily and quickly with the help of serpentine movements of the body and a flat tail, however, completely without using the legs, which are tightly pressed to the sides and remain motionless ... I opened the stomachs of many of them and each time found them filled with chewed sea salt. algae growing in the form of thin leaf-like plates. As far as I remember, these algae have never been found in significant quantities on the coastal rocks, and I have reason to think that they grow a short distance from the coast on the bottom of the sea. If they are not near the shore, then the reason forcing the animals to go some distance to the sea is understandable. It has now been established that adult iguanas, when swimming in the sea, actually dive for food, holding on to the bottom with their claws. They bite algae with their long three-pointed teeth, and their teeth act like garden scissors. Young lizards, unlike adults, along with plant foods also eat small animals.
Regular feeding of salt-rich seaweed has led to the emergence of a special salt-excreting mechanism in these iguanas, associated with the function of the so-called nasal glands, the ducts of which open into the nasal cavity on each side of the head. The salt dissolved in the blood is absorbed by the glands and is periodically removed in the form of droplets of fluid released from the nose. Excellent swimming and diving, iguanas, in case of danger, nevertheless always try to hide on land, where they have practically no enemies, while in the sea they are often attacked by sharks. According to the latest data of A. Eibel-Eibelfeldt, these lizards keep in large herds, consisting of smaller groups of 5-10 females and young individuals, located in close proximity to each other on the shore. At the same time, iguanas often even climb one on top of the other, forming a multi-layered heap. Each group of females makes up a "harem", guarded by an old male, who settles a little further away, closer to the water. The male protects the occupied territory from the intrusion of rivals and, if one appears, enters into hard fight. Both of them, arching their backs, collide with their heads, trying to push each other out of the territory.
Iguanas reproduce by laying 1-3 eggs, which the female digs into a shallow hole dug with her front legs in soft sand. Since there are relatively few places suitable for this on the rocky coast, each female, having occupied a suitable site, drives out new rivals from it.
Another type of common exclusively on Galapagos Islands iguana - canolophans(Conolophus subcristatus) - in appearance it differs from sea lizards in an elongated head, a short awkward body with a weakly pronounced dorsal crest and a shorter, almost round tail in cross section. In accordance with the terrestrial way of life, the shortened fingers of conolophos are devoid of swimming membranes. In length, these iguanas do not exceed 100-110 cm, of which about half falls on a massive tail with a slightly outlined longitudinal ridge. Their head is a bright lemon-yellow color, and the central part of the back is brick-red, and towards the sides this color gradually changes to dark brown. Unlike the previous species, konolofs are found only on some islands of the Galapagos archipelago, where they live as on their humid, elevated ones. parts, and in more low-lying areas near the coast. “I cannot give a better idea of their abundance,” Darwin wrote, “as if I say that on James Island we long time could not find a suitable place to pitch a tent, since everything was occupied by their burrows ... ” Conolofs feed on succulent cacti and do not go far from their burrows.
Representatives of the South American genus Iguana are characterized by a large tetrahedral head and an elongated, noticeably laterally flattened body, gradually turning into a very long, laterally compressed tail. Along the middle of the back and further to the very tip of the tail is a well-defined dorsal crest. Males have a strongly hanging flat throat pouch, equipped with leading edge comb of serrated scales.
Widespread in Central America common or green iguana(Iguana iguana) reaches 180 cm in length and is the largest member of its family. This lizard got its second name for the bright green, like a leaf, body color, across which there are dark stripes, limited, as a rule, by narrow light borders.
Green iguanas lead a predominantly arboreal lifestyle, spending most of their time on the branches of trees growing along the banks of water bodies. In case of danger, they hide in the water, where they swim and dive excellently, using a long and very strong tail.
They feed mainly on fruits and succulent leaves, although they often also eat insects and other invertebrates.
“If you sail calmly and slowly on a boat,” writes Geldi, who observed green iguanas in Brazil, “you can see them at almost every step. One sits high on the fork of the airy siriuba tree, the other among the magnificent garlands of the Arribidaea shrub. A novice in these areas is likely to notice old large specimens covered with dark skin. A more experienced eye is needed to distinguish young or recently molted lizards as they sit motionless in their magnificent robes on a cushion of succulent leaves of climbing plants and bask in the sun. Usually they wait until you come close to them, but if they take flight, then you have to be surprised at their unexpected agility. The iguana swims and dives expertly, and if only she is not mortally wounded, then, having fallen into the water, she usually disappears for the hunter ... Since September, the female iguanas leave the banks of the rivers and go along the streams that flow into them, further into the interior of the country. From there they tend to sandy shoals and dunes, where they dig shallow holes and lay eggs in them, then filling them with sand and leveling the masonry remarkably well ... The clutch consists of 12-18, at most - 24 eggs ... they have the shape of a wide ellipsoid. Their white shell is quite soft and yields under the slightest pressure of a finger. Nevertheless, it is very strong, and it can be cut immediately only with a sharply sharpened knife.
Several females can lay their eggs in one common nest, where they were sometimes found by several dozen. The meat of iguanas, as well as their eggs, is widely used by the local population for food, and therefore iguanas are the object of regular fishing. In this case, specially trained dogs are usually used or other methods of hunting are used, one of which is described by the modern German geographer and traveler Karl Gelbig: “Indians can hunt leguans without firearms. Everyone had a harpoon with them... This is a three-meter-long stick with a hooked tip, reinforced in such a way that, having stuck into something, it immediately separated from the shaft. A long rope is tied to the tip, equipped with a float at the other end. Someone from the team constantly peered into the trees on the shore - a favorite location of the leguans. There they catch insects, pluck young leaves and sleep on the branches, warmed by the sun. Sensing danger, they simply fall into the water... If the leguan was lying in such a way that it could easily be hit by a harpoon, then the conversation with him was short... But if it was impossible to use this weapon, then one of the hunters silently climbed onto tree and hit with a club on the bough on which the animal lay ... With the swiftness of a cannonball, the leguan fell down, flopped into the water and seemed to be like that. But even at the moment when he fell, another hunter threw himself headlong into the place where the leguan was supposed to dive ... In almost all cases, the hunter soon appeared above the water, holding in both hands the smooth tail of a wildly writhing lizard ... With a live leguan is not easy to handle; he has tremendous strength, and besides, he bites dangerously.
Large South American lizards of the genus Cyclura differ from true iguanas in the structure of the teeth, underdeveloped throat pouch and less high crest, usually somewhat interrupted in the shoulder and sacral region. Their teeth, unlike those of representatives of the genus Iguana, are not serrated.
- iguanas are a family of lizards. Includes approx. 650 species, common Ch. arr. in North and South America...
Biological encyclopedic dictionary
- - taxonomic category in biol. systematics. S. unites close genera that have a common origin. Latin name C. is formed by adding to the basis of the name of the type genus the endings -idae and -aseae ...
Dictionary of microbiology
- - family - One of the main categories in biological systematics, unites genera that have a common origin; also - a family, a small group of individuals related by blood relationship and including parents and their offspring ...
Molecular biology and genetics. Dictionary
- - family, taxonomic category in the taxonomy of animals and plants ...
Veterinary Encyclopedic Dictionary
- - A highly productive group of breeding queens descended from an outstanding ancestor and descendants similar to her in type and productivity ...
Terms and definitions used in breeding, genetics and reproduction of farm animals
- - taxonomic. category in biol. systematics. In S., close genera are united. For example, S. squirrels include genera: squirrels, marmots, ground squirrels, etc....
Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
- - Taxonomic category of related organisms, rank below the order and above the genus. usually consists of several genera ... Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary
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