Glossary

Living in trees and shrubs.

Introduced to the country, not endemic.

Insects and spiders.

Lying in the sun to absorb heat.

Scales along the upper surface of the canthal rostralis.

Angle between flat crown of head and the side of the head between the eye and the snout.

Upper shell of a tortoise/turtle.

Self amputation of the tail.

Pigment cells responsible for colour.

Members of the same species.

Active in the morning and evening.

Decorative ride of skin or spikes on the neck, back, or tail.

Removal of dead or necrotic tissue.

Active during daylight hours.

Branching pattern characteristic of NZ shrubs (e.g. Muehlenbeckia complexa).

Towards the back (spinal area).

Dorsal and lateral sides of the body.

Difficulty shedding skin.

Parasites living outside (on) the body.

Animal whose regulation of body temperature depends on external sources. Commonly called ‘cold blooded’ (an incorrect term).

Native and unique to an area (found no-where else), not adventive.

Parasites living inside the body.

Ability to regulate own (body) temperature, commonly referred to as warm blooded.

A plant growing on another plant but not organically connected.

Enlarged pores found inside thighs of males and females. Males have larger pores, can be used to sex individuals.

Region where a species or individual lives.

Paired sex organs of a male, bulges at the base of the tail.

Keeping and breeding of reptiles and amphibians in captivity.

Study of reptiles and amphibians.

Sides.

Triangular scale on the tip of the lower jaw.

Naturally found in a particular area (not adventive/introduced by man).

Active during night.

Producing eggs that hatch outside the body.

Eggs carried and hatched within the body, giving birth to live young.

Photosensory organ found in tuatara.

Median plate on the tip of the snout that borders the mouth opening.

Singular ‘seta’, tiny hair like projections on toe pads of some gecko species. Enables geckos to climb on vertical surfaces.

Shedding of old skin.

Measurement from snout to tail (snout-tail-length).

Measurement from snout to vent (snout-vent-length).

Classification of organisms.

Otherwise known as UV, radiant energy between 100-380 nanometers (nm).

Slit at the base of the tail (urogenital opening).

Lower or belly side of body.

Bears live young rather than laying eggs.

Measurement from snout to vent (vent to tail length).