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GLOSSARY OF CHELONIAN TERMINOLOGY

  • ADAPTION  - Morphological or behavioral modifications evolved  over  a period in response to environment or mode of life.
  • AESTIVATE  - Summer or dry season dormancy.   Not to be confused with hibernation.
  • ALLANTOIS  -  Sac-like  growth surrounding an  embryo.    Assists with respiration and waste management.
  • AMNION - A fluid filed sac enclosing an embryo.
  • ANAL  -  Pertaining  to the anal region;  e.g., the anal  suture  of  the plastron.
  • ANOXIA - Lack of oxygen.  Suffocation.
  • ANTERIOR - Towards the front or head.
  • AQUATIC - Living in water.
  • AREOLA  - The central region of the scute.   May be marked  or  raised.
  • BASKING  - Behavior designed to gain maximum absorption of  heat  from the sun.  Often involves positioning on slopes.
  • BEAK - The horny outer covering of the jaws.
  • BIMODALITY  -  The  term used to describe  non-simultaneous  hatching.
  • BIOCLIMATIC RANGE - The forces of temperature and humidity, among other factors, which influence distribution of a species.
  • BODY  TEMPERATURE  -  The  interior  rather  than   exterior surface temperature    of   the   body.     Usually   measured   per cloaca.
  • CARAPACE  -  The  hard  bony upper shell of  the  tortoise  or  turtle.
  • CARNIVORE  -  An animal which eats the flesh of  other  animals.    Not common in tortoises but frequent in freshwater turtles.  e.g.,  Snapping turtles.
  • CAUDAL - Pertaining to the tail region.
  • CHARACTER  -  Any  key  feature  used  to  diagnose  species  or   sex.
  • CHELONIAN  -  A shield reptile.   Tortoises,   turtles  and  terrapins.
  • CLINE  -  A gradual morphological variation within a species  from  one part of its range to another.
  • CLOACA - The chamber and vent in the tail.
  • CLUTCH  - The collective term for all the eggs laid by a female at  one time.
  • CLUTCH   DENSITY   -   The  number  of  eggs  in   a   single   clutch.
  • CONTIGUOUS   -  A  sequential  or  unbroken  series  or   distribution.
  • COPROPHAGOUS - Dung or faeces eating.
  • COSTAL  -  The  series of plates located at the side and  middle  of  a chelonians    shell    between   the    vertebrals    and    marginals.
  • CRANIAL - Pertaining to the skull.
  • CUTANEOUS - Of or pertaining to the skin.
  • DIMORPHISM - Two distinct forms within a species.  Sexual dimorphism is the  existence  of morphological divergence between  male  and  female.
  • DIURNAL - Active during the day.
  • DORSAL - Pertaining to the upper part.
  • DYSTOCIA - See egg-binding.
  • ESD - Acronym for Environmental Sex Determination.
  • ECOSYSTEM   -  The  natural  symmetry  between  organisms   and   their environment.
  • ECTOPARASITE  -  A  parasite  that lives outside the  body  or  on  its surface.
  • ECTOTHERM - An organism which mainly relies upon environmental  sources to sustain its body temperature.
  • EGG  BINDING - A condition which occurs in female  tortoises  involving difficulty in laying eggs (Dystocia).
  • EGG  CARUNCLE - A small projection on the beak of hatchlings  used  for the purposes of piercing the egg.
  • EGG TOOTH - See egg caruncle.
  • ENDEMIC   -  Zoogeographically  restricted  species,   race  or   form.
  • ENDOPARASITE - An internal parasite, e.g., a 'worm'.
  • ENDOTHERM - An animal which self-generates heat by metabolic action, e. g.,  a mammal.
  • ESTIVATE - See aestivate.
  • EXOTHERM - See ectotherm.
  • FSL  -  Acronym  for Full Spectrum  Lighting,   'artificial  sunlight'.
  • FAMILY   -  The  taxonomic  category  below  Order  and  above   Genus.
  • FAUNA - The animal life of a locality.
  • FENESTRATED - Pierced.  With gaps or holes.
  • FORM - A population or 'variety'; not necessarily deserving of separate systematic  recognition but also sometimes denoting a true  species  or subspecies.
  • GENETIC - Pertaining to genes and inheritance.
  • GENUS  -  The  taxonomic  category  below  Family  and  above  Species. Contains one or more species.
  • GESTATION  - In tortoises,  the period between fertilization of an  egg and laying.
  • GREGARIOUS - Tending to congregate in groups.
  • GULAR - Pertaining to the throat region; in tortoises usually refers to the plastral scutes below the head.
  • GUT - The alimentary canal, especially the intestine.
  • HABITAT - The environment in which an animal lives.
  • HATCHLING - The young animal just after it leaves the egg; any juvenile phase tortoise to about 6 months.
  • HEPATIC - Pertaining to the liver.
  • HERBIVORE - An animal which eats plants rather than other animals.    A vegetarian.
  • HERPETOLOGY  -  The  science  and study  of  reptiles  and  amphibians.
  • HIBERNATION - Winter dormancy characterised by specific biological  and biochemical  changes including lowered blood pressure  and  respiration rate.
  • HINGE - A mobile suture; as seen in Box Turtles or Hinge-back tortoises which allows part of the shell to be closed.
  • HOMOGENOUS  -  A  relatively intact distribution  of  genetic  material within  a population.   Little diversity from one locality to another within the range.
  • HYBRID - An individual resulting from a mating of parents which are not genetically   identical,   e.g.,  those that  belong  to  different   species.
  • INCUBATION - The developmental phase of an egg prior to hatching  which requires warmth.
  • INFRARED  -  Invisible  heat rays beyond the  visible  light  spectrum.
  • INTERGRADE - A hybrid form.
  • INTRODUCED - A species not native to a region but which now occur there as  a  result of artificial transport or escapes  from  captivity  etc.
  • INTROFLEXED - Turned inwards.
  • JUVENILE - Not sexually mature.
  • KEEL - A ridge sometimes seen in the vertebral region of the  carapace.
  • KERATIN - A tough fibrous protein present in epidermal structures  such as carapace shields, beaks and claws.
  • KINESIS   -  Mobile.    As in  a  box  turtle  or  Hinge-back   shell.
  • LATERAL - Pertaining to the side.
  • MARGINAL  -  The  series  of smaller scutes at the  very  edge  of  the carapace.  Usually 11 on each side in most species.
  • MELANISTIC - Darker or blacker than normal.
  • MESIC - An intermediate humidity habitat.
  • METABOLIC  RATE  -  The  rate of energy  expenditure  by  an  organism.
  • METABOLISM  -  The  chemical or energy changes which  occur  within  an animal necessary to sustain life.
  • MICROCLIMATE  -  The climate immediately surrounding an  animal.    May differ profoundly  from the general climate in the case  of  burrowing tortoises.
  • MORPHOLOGY - Pertaining to shape and form.
  • MORPHOMETRY  - The technique of measuring and comparing  shapes,   e.g., the shape of a turtle shell.
  • MYELITIS - Tissue destruction due to infection.
  • NARES - Paired openings of the nasal cavity.
  • NASAL - Pertaining to the nose or nares.
  • NOCTURNAL - Active at night.
  • NUCHAL  - A small scute at the front of the carapace,  above the  head.
  • OEDEMA - Fluid retention.  Can signify renal disease or bruising.   Any swelling.
  • OMNIVORE  -  An  animal which feeds on both plant  and  animal  tissue.
  • OPTIC - Pertaining to the eyes.
  • OSTEOLOGICAL   -   Pertaining  to  the  bones  and   their   structure.
  • OVIPOSITION - The act of egg laying.
  • P.O.  - Preferred Optimum.
  • PARENTERAL - Via injection.
  • PHENETIC  -  Apparent similarity on the basis of  external  characters.
  • PHYLOGENY - Pertaining to evolutionary relationships.
  • PLASTRON - The lower surface of the chelonian shell.
  • POIKILOTHERM - See ectotherm.
  • POPULATION  -  A  group  of  the same  species  living  in  a  discreet geographical area.
  • POSTERIOR - The rear or back part.
  • RACE - A population of a species distinguishable from the rest of  that species.  A subspecies.
  • RADIAL - Like the spokes of a wheel.
  • RENAL - Pertaining to the kidneys.
  • SAVANNAH  -  A  habitat  of open  plains  and  low  grassy  vegetation. SCL  -  Acronym  for Straight Carapace Length  (not  over  the  curve).
  • SCUTE - The horny plates of a chelonian shell.
  • SERRATED - Jagged or saw-like.
  • SUBSPECIES  -  A subdivision of a single species given  a  unique  name which  is  expressed after the generic and species  name.    See  race.
  • SUBSTRATE  -  In  herpetology,  usually  refers  to  vivarium  flooring material.
  • SUPRA - Pertaining to above.
  • SUPRACAUDAL - The scute above the tail.
  • SUTURES            -   The  'seams'   between  two  boney   or   horny   plates.
  • SYMPATRIC - Living in the same geographical area.
  • SYNONYM  -  One  of several different names  applied  to  an  identical taxonomic category only one of which is valid.   The invalid names only are  called  synonyms.    The  valid  name  is  selected  by  priority.
  • SYSTEMIC - Whole body treatment.   Not topical.   Usually by injection.
  • TAXON  -  A  taxonomic  category,  e.g a  Family,   Genus  or  Species.
  • TAXONOMY - The science of classification.
  • TEMPERATE - Latitudes where summer and winter seasons are  experienced.
  • TERRAPIN  - Fresh water  aquatic  chelonians.
  • TERRESTRIAL - Living on the ground.  Not Aquatic.
  • TOPICALLY - Pertaining to surface application.
  • TORTOISE - Terrestrial chelonians.
  • TROPICAL  -  Pertaining to equatorial regions where winter and  summer seasons are not experienced.
  • TUBERCLE - The 'spur' on tortoises’ thighs.
  • TURTLE  -  Semi-terrestrial  chelonians  and marine chelonians.   Sometimes applied interchangeably with 'tortoise'.
  • TYMPANITIC - Pertaining to the ear.
  • TYPE  -  The  original  specimen  upon  which  a  species  is  erected.
  • TYPE  LOCALITY - The place where the Type was collected or  originated.
  • VENTRAL - Pertaining to the underside.
  • VERTEBRAL - Pertaining to the spinal region.  The central row of scutes along the top of the carapace.
  • VIVARIUM  -  An  indoor  artificial  environment  containing  animals.

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