Fischer Technical Company™ Reptiles and Amphibians Poster Set of 4, Laminated

Description

• This set Includes four laminated posters
• All posters are 24 x 36 in
• Titles Included are: North American Snakes, Frogs & Toads, Turtles Tortoises and Terrapin, and Amphibians & Reptiles
• A271 North American Snakes - Snakes descend from lizards
• Like them, they have loosely articulated skulls, and most can dislocate their lower jaw in order to swallow prey much larger than their own head
• They differ from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears
• Most species are non-venomous
• They are generally shy and docile and try to avoid humans
• Some are even kept as pets
• The venomous snakes use their natural weapon primarily to subdue and kill prey
• They are not normally aggressive, but when threatened, they will protect themselves
• It's best to avoid them, as some have venom powerful enough to cause painful injury or death
• This causes many people to fear snakes
• North Americans are justified in doing so because there are some really nasty serpents slithering around the countryside
• This poster presents the most widespread North American species
• It makes it easy to tell if a particular snake is a threat, as the graphic design divides them into non-venomous (green background) and venomous (red background) species
• It's the latter you really need to be able to identify because the others may give you a painful bite, but they won't kill you
• A274 Frogs & Toads - The Anura (meaning tail-less) clade contains all of the frogs and toads
• There are over 4,800 recorded species, which represents 88% of all amphibian species
• The distinction between frogs and toads is based on common cultural rather than specific physical differences
• In common usages, the term frog usually refers to species that are aquatic or semi-aquatic and have smooth, moist skins, and the term toad generally refers to species that are terrestrial with dry, warty skins, but there are numerous exceptions to this rule
• This colorful poster is divided into three sections, one representing each of the major groups or sub-clades
• Extensive research went into showing the amazing diversity of these little animals
• North American species are shown whenever possible
• A275 Turtles, Tortoises, & Terrapin - These are the reptiles of the order Chelonii
• All have a bony or cartilaginous shell, and many species withdraw into it for protection
• Fossils have been dated to 220 million years ago, making turtles older than lizards, snakes, and crocodiles
• Like other amniotes (reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals), they breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water
• The largest turtles are aquatic
• Technically, all animals in this order are turtles, and the term can refer to the entire order or to any individual species
• In common usage, the term tortoise refers to those that live only on land, and a terrapin is a turtle that lives in fresh or brackish water
• These are common usage terms, not biological ones
• There is only one terrapin species
• A153 Amphibians & Reptiles - These animals are often confused by people, so they are treated together
• Amphibian comes from the Greek amphi, meaning both, and bios, meaning life
• It has two meanings
• First, the animals physically change
• Reproduction is accomplished through external fertilization
• The female spawns her eggs in water where they are fertilized by the male
• After hatching, most amphibians undergo a dramatic change known as metamorphosis
• They slowly change from fishlike, water-dwelling animals to ones better suited for life on land
• Fins and gills become legs and lungs
• The most well-known example is the change from tadpole to frog
• Second, the term also refers to the fact that these animals live first in water and later on land.