Western
New York Herpetological Society
www.wnyherp.org
©
2001 – 2002 by Western New York Herpetological Society
This
document is for guidance only and should not be used as the sole source of
information. New information is being
developed daily.
The following glossary of terms is
provided to help clarify some of the information in our
care sheets.
Albino
– Genetic mutation that causes the lack color
pigment usually seen with red eyes
Aquatic
– Spending most of the time in fresh water
Basking Spot
– Area of the enclosure kept warmer with the
use of a heating element to allow the animal to thermoregulate
Bridge
– Area of the shell on turtles and tortoises
that connects the carapace and plastron
Brumation
– Period of cooling down a reptile to simulate
natural seasons, helps to stimulate breeding
C. B.
–
Abbreviation for Captive Bred
Captive Bred
– Animal bred in captivity and not caught from
the wild, generally healthier and better adjusted to live in captivity,
abbreviated C. B.
Carapace
– Dorsal portion of the shell on a turtle or
tortoise
Carnivore
– Feeding exclusively on meat
Cold Blooded
– Body temperature and metabolism is
controlled by the external temperature, see also Exothermic
Crepuscular
– Active primarily during dawn and dusk hours
of the day
Dechlorinate
– To remove the chlorine from ordinary tap
water by letting it sit out for 24-hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate
naturally or by using commercially available products
Diurnal
– Active primarily during the day
Dorsal
– Referring to the back or top of an animal,
portion with the backbone, opposite side of ventral
Endothermic
– Body temperature and metabolism controlled
internally and not dependent upon the external temperature, see also warm blooded
Exothermic
– Body temperature and metabolism is
controlled by the external temperature, see also Cold Blooded
Gut Loading
– Process of feeding prey items good quality
food to ensure proper nutrition for the animal being fed the prey items
Heat Rock
– Commercially available product that consists
of a heating element surrounded by rock; notoriously unreliable and often
causes burns to the animals it is used with; see also Hot Rock
Herbivore
– Feeding exclusively on plant material
Herpetoculture
– The science of keeping herpetofauna in
captivity
Herpetofauna
– Referring to both reptiles and amphibians
Herpetology
– Study of reptiles and amphibians
Herptile
– Inaccurate and incorrect slang term for
reptiles and amphibians, see Herpetofauna
Hibernation
– Often used inaccurately with regards to
herpetofauna, see Brumation
Hopper
– Juvenile mouse that is just starting to move
around
Hot Rock
– Commercially available product that consists
of a heating element surrounded by rock; notoriously unreliable and often
causes burns to the animals it is used with; see also Heat Rock
Insectivore
– Specialized carnivore that feeds exclusively
on insects
ISIS
– International Species Information System,
tracks taxonomic and breeding information of all species, used extensively in
zoos and aquariums
Leucistic
– Genetic mutation that causes the lack of
dark colored pigment to be present, usually seen with blue eyes
Marine
– Spending time mostly in salt water (i.e.
ocean) surroundings
Melonistic
– Genetic mutation that cause more dark
pigment than normal to be present
Nocturnal
– Active primarily during night
Omnivore
– Feeding on both meat and plant material
Photoperiod
– Period of light and dark to simulate the
natural day and night cycle, important for the health and well being of animals
in captivity
Pinhead
– Small sized crickets
Pinky
– Baby new born mouse, is hairless and pink in
color
Plastron
– Ventral portion of the shell on turtles and
tortoises
Salmonella
– Bacteria that causes Salmonellosis, commonly
found in poorly prepared poultry and occasionally found on herpetofauna
(usually thought of with turtles)
Salmonellosis
– Bacterial infection caused by Salmonella
that causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps for 4 to 7 days
Semi-Aquatic
– Spending time on both land and fresh water
Substrate
– The material used as a floor or bedding for
your animal
Taxonomy
– The organization of all organisms into
categories to better describe them
Temperature Gradient
– Temperature range provided for herpetofauna
to thermoregulate
Terrestrial
– Spending time primarily on the land only
Thermocouple
– Used to measure temperatures accurately,
especially one consisting of two dissimilar metals
Thermoregulate
– Process in which the animal will move to
warmer or cooler places to regulate its body temperature and metabolism
UV
– Ultraviolet light, usually not visible to
the naked eye and described as three different types
UVA
– Visible to the naked eye, responsible for inducing
normal behavior such as feeding and mating; provides for mental well-being
UVB
– Not visible to the naked eye, gives humans
sun tans, allows for synthesis of vitamin D3 which allows reptiles to process
calcium to prevent bone disease
UVC
– Not visible to the naked eye, used in
sterilizers and kills bacteria, extremely dangerous and can cause damage to DNA
Ventral
– Referring to the bottom or belly area of an
animal, opposite of dorsal
W. C.
– Abbreviation for Wild Caught
Warm Blooded
– Body temperature and metabolism controlled
internally and not dependent upon the external temperature, sell also
endothermic
Wild Caught
– Caught or trapped in the wild, generally
carriers of parasites and more prone to sickness due to stress of capture and
shipping, abbreviated W. C.