VERTEBRATE PROJECT

Harrison Levin

CLASS AGNATHA

Sea Lamprey Scientific Name:

Petromyzon marinus Environment:

found only in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, in the coastal seas off the North East USA, Nova Scotia, southern Greenland, the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia. It is also found in the Great Lakes and enters inland freshwater rivers and streams to breed. In its natural habitat, the sea lamprey lives in the open ocean, migrating into freshwater to spawn.

SEA LAMPREY

Characteristics Attack:

Attacks a wide range of salt- and freshwater fish, including herring, mackerel, salmon, trout and even some sharks, using its 'sucker' to attach to its host and rasp out a whole with its rough tongue.

Physical: Sea lampreys grow up to 1.2

m in length, weighing up to 2.5 kg.

Are easily identified by the wide oral disc ('sucker') in place of their mouth, which is filled with many small teeth arranged in circular rows

CLASS CHONDRICHTHYES

Great White Shark Scientific Name:

Carcharodon carcharias Environment:

Found in all cold temperate and tropical waters, from 60°N latitude to 60°S latitude

GREAT WHITE SHARK

Characteristics Interesting Facts:

Olfactory bulbs: cells in the nose where information is analyzed.

Do not need to drink Reach lengths of over 6.1 m

long and weigh up to 2,268 kg

Attack: Swim over the ocean ground

looking for prey such as seals and shoot up stunning and taking a bite out of the victim

CLASS OSTEICHTHYES

Rainbow Trout Scientific Name:

Oncorhynchus mykiss Environment:

Native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America as well as much of the central, western, eastern, and especially the northern portions of the United States

RAINBOW TROUT

Characteristics Importance:

Fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial

Physical: Swim bladder: remain

buoyant Can breath without

swimming Feeding:

Close to bottom

CLASS AMPHIBIA

Panamanian Golden Frog

Scientific Name: Atelopus zeteki

Environment: In wet forest stream habitats,

the frogs are dispersed in and along streams

PANAMANIAN GOLDEN FROG

Characteristics Physical:

Gills and/or lungs in order to breath

Skin is soft Adult males measure 39-48

and weigh 8-12 g, while adult females measure 55-63 mm and weigh 10-15 g

Defense: Capable of secreting poison to

help protect themselves from predators

CLASS REPTILIA

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Scientific Name: Crotalus atrox

Environment: Unhabit dry, rocky, shrub-

covered terrain where they can conceal themselves inside crevices in the rocks or in mouse holes.

WESTERN DIAMONDBACK RATTLESNAKE

Characteristics Physical:

Pit Organ: The membrane senses very slight temperature differences between the snake's inner and ambient temperatures

Each link of the rattle is the remnant of a molted skin; as the snake molts, the last scale loosens but does not fall off. As the snake ages, new rattles are formed with each molt, while old rattles simultaneously fall off.

Behavior: are aggressive and easily

excitable. This species causes more fatalities than any other snake in the United States. They are not necessarily apt to attack offensively, but are rather highly defensive

CLASS AVES

Toucan Scientific Name:

Ramphastos sulfuratus Environment:

Toucans live in the rainforests of Central and South America

TOUCAN

Characteristics Three Adaptations:

The first one is that they have bills in order to eat food.  The second one is the feathers it has to protect their body.  The last one is that it's wings help them fly away from predators.

Facts: Scientists haven't figured out

why the bills of the toucan are so big

Toucans are frugivors (animals that eat fruits)

They sleep in holes that are in trees

CLASS MAMMALIA

Fox Squirrel Scientific Name:

Sciurus niger Environment:

Fox squirrels are found in a diverse array of deciduous and mixed forest. Areas with a good variety of tree species are preferred due to variability in mast production. (eastern and central United States, south into northern Mexico, and north into Canada)

FOX SQUIRREL Characteristics

Physical: Have excellent vision, even in

dim light. They have well-developed senses of hearing and smell

Eating: Gall insects, moths, beetles, bird,

eggs, and dead fish. Acorn, hickory, walnut, mulberry, and hawthorne seeds are preferred

Interesting Fact: play a significant role in shaping

the of forests. They may eat almost all of the tree seeds that trees produce in some years. When squirrels bury seeds and forget them, these seeds are likely to sprout where they were placed

WORK CITED Petromyzon marinus, Sea Lamprey - MarineBio.org. Retrieved Thursday,

March 19, 2009, from http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=542. Carcharodon carcharias, Great White Shark - MarineBio.org. Retrieved

Thursday, March 19, 2009, from http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=38.   "Oncorhynchus mykiss ." 15, Jan 2009. 19 Mar 2009

<http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Speciessummary.php?id=239>. Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2009.

Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. (Accessed: Mar 19, 2009).

Ingmarsson, L. 2002. "Crotalus atrox" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 20, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Crotalus_atrox.html.

"Species from the Peruvian Jungle." Toucan. n/a. 19 Mar 2009 <http://www.amersol.edu.pe/ms/7th/7block/jungle_research/cards/40card.html>.

Fahey, B. 2001. "Sciurus niger" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed March 20, 2009 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sciurus_niger.html.