Bearded Dragon Pogona vitticeps - reptile - Australia - omnivore - eat insects, fruits and vegetables - grow to 16-24 inches long - lifespan about 10 years - diurnal (awake during daytime) - ectothermic (having body temperature that varies with the environment) - live in arid, rocky, semi-desert regions and dry, woodlands - good climbers - when threatened, will expand their throat (beard), and bob their heads
Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches
Gromphadorhina portentosa - Madagascar - invertebrates - omnivores - exoskeleton (have their skeleton on the outside) - wingless - can grow 2 - 4 inches long
- one of the largest species of cockroaches - lifespan in captivity 2 to 5 years - force air through breathing pores to make hissing sound - 3 types of hisses - disturbance hiss, attracting females hiss, fighting hiss (males) - Gromphadorholaelaps schaeferi, Mites live on these cockroaches and eat saliva and food particles off of their bodies. The mites cannot live anywhere else but on the cockroach. When the cockroach dies, they die as well. - This is called commensalism (the mites get food and a place to live. but do not harm the cockroaches they live upon). - males have “horns” for fighting other males - females carry an egg case internally for 60-70 days then the nymphs hatch inside.
White's Dumpy Tree Frogs
Litoria caerulea - amphibian - Australia, New Guinea - amphibian - insectivores - eat moths, locusts, roaches, and crickets - lifespan is about 16 years - large tree frog 3 - 4.5 inches - Females are larger than males - Females have a white throat and males have a gray, wrinkled throat. - colors range from light blue to emerald green to brown. - eyes have horizontal pupils, where most tree frogs have vertical pupils - have enormous toe pads with partial webbing between - they secrete a waxy covering over their skin that helps retain water - nocturnal and diurnal
"Speedy"
Eastern Box Turtle Terrapene carolina Carolina - reptile - omnivore - eat snails, insects, worms, slugs, flowers, eggs, berries, roots, plants, mushrooms. - can grow to 8 inches long - lifespan is over 80 years in the wild - males have longer, wider tails, and flatter shells than females. - They also have very red eyes and a concave plastron (bottom shell). - the plastron has a hinge that allows the box turtle to close it’s shell to hide from danger. - most common land turtle in the U.S. - found along the entire east coast of the United States from Massachusetts to northern Florida, as far west as the Mississippi River, and north to the Great Lakes.
Moon Crabs
Gecarcinus quadratus - “Halloween Crab” “Harlequin Land Crab” - Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua - crustaceans - invertebrates
- exoskeleton made of chitin - nocturnal & burrow - omnivores, scavengers (don't hunt, eat dead animals) - eat mangoes, papayas, coconuts, vegetables, dead animals and fish - use claws for protection and holding & tearing food - rainforests, mangroves - needs to return to the ocean to reproduce - community crabs
Hermit Crabs
Coenobita clypeatus Coenobita compressus - “purple pincher”, “tree crab”, “soldier crab” - Caribbean, Ecuador, Pacific Rim - crustaceans - invertebrates - have an exoskeleton made of chitin - omnivores, scavengers - eat fruits, vegetables, dead animals and worms - dots on legs are setae (hair-like strands of chitin) - use large claw for protection and holding food - live inland away from the water - use other animals’ old shells for protection - nocturnal (awake at night) - community crabs