- AMBIENT TEMPERATURE
- Surrounding temperature; room air temperature
- ASPIRATE
- Inhaling fluids into the lungs
- AQUATIC
- Lives in, or mostly in, water
- BASKING LIGHT
- A light or overhead heating element that produces
an area of higher heat in an enclosure; required by the reptile for digestion
- BEAK
- Hard or bony mouthparts on chelonians
- BRUMMATION
- Torpor induced by prolonged periods of low
temperatures
- CARAPACE
- Top part of shell in turtles and tortoises
- CAUDAL
- Towards the tail end of the body
- CHELONIAN
- Collective term referring to turtles and tortoises
- CLOACA
- Passage used for eliminating fecal, urinary and
reproductive discharges
- DEHYDRATION
- Reduction of water in body tissues and blood; can be
life-threatening
- DIURNAL
- Active during the day
- DYSTOCIA
- Abnormal or difficult labor or egg laying
- ECTOPARASITE
- Parasites living outside (or on) the body
- ECTOTHERMIC
- "Cold-blooded"-body temperature varies
according to ambient external temperatures
- ECTOTHERM
- Having to regulate internal body temperature by
seeking out different external heat sources
- ENDOPARASITE
- Parasites living inside the body
- ESTIVATION
- Torpor brought on by extended periods of drought
or heat
- GLOTTIS
- Opening at the back of the tongue leading into
the trachea (wind pipe)
- HERPETOLOGY
- The study of reptiles and amphibians
- HERP
- A reptile or amphibian. "Herpers" refers to people
who are interested in or who keep herps. Herpetoculture refers to the keeping and breeding of herps
- HEPATIC
- Relating to the liver
- HIBERNATION
- Torpor brought on by extended cold temperatures
- HYPOVITAMINOSIS
- A condition of vitamin deficiency
- INGUINAL POCKETS
- The area of concealed skin between the legs and
shell of turtles.
- KEEL
- The ridge of keratin found on the midline of
the carapace of Terrapene carolina
- MANDIBLE
- Lower jaw
- MAXILLA
- Upper jaw
- MEDIAL
- Toward the midline (center) of the body
- NECROTIC
- Dead skin or tissue, often the result of burns or
infection
- NEPHROTOXIC
- Chemically damaging to the kidneys
- OMNIVORES
- Eats live prey and plants
- OSTEOMALACIA
- Softening of the bones
- OVIPAROUS
- Reproduces by laying eggs
- PATHOGEN
- Disease-causing organism
- PHOTOPERIOD
- Day/night cycle of light/dark
- PLASTRON
- The bottom part of a turtle or tortoise shell
- PROLAPSE
- Expulsion of internal organ from the vent; can be
harmful
- RENAL
- Relating to the kidneys
- SCUTES
- The individual segments of the turtle’s shell
- SEMI-AQUATIC
- Lives on land but spends some or much time in
water
- SUBCUTANEOUS
- Just beneath the skin (as in SQ, subq, subcutaneous
fluids)
- TEMPERATURE GRADIENT
- A range of temperature needed to enable a reptile to
regulate its internal (core) body temperature
- TERRESTRIAL
- Lives on land
- THERMOREGULATE
- In reptiles, their ability to change their body
temperature by moving from warm to cool places
- ULTRAVIOLET (UV) LIGHT
- UV is present in sunlight and is necessary for
maintaining adequate levels of active vitamin D in box turtles
- URATES
- The non-fecal part of the excreta
- VENT
- Exterior opening of the cloaca; anus
- VENTRAL
- Towards the belly
- VERTEBRATE
- Animals having backbones (mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, fish).
By Tess Cook
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Disclaimer: Please use all information contained on this web site at your own risk. Last updated on
December 30, 2010
.