Hi everyone!
I'm Abby Brown.
Have you ever been on a nature walk and stumbled
across a frog or even a snake?
These types of amphibians and reptiles are common
here in Iowa.
And it's super fun to catch a glimpse of them in
their natural habitat.
But guess what?
Today, we're going to see some amphibians and
reptiles up close.
I'm talking eyes and claws and shells and everything.
And let me give you a hint about one of my favorites.
His name is Peaches.
Get ready to Go Beyond with Iowa PBS and the
Science Center of Iowa as we meet some cold blooded
critters.
♪♪
Did you know that
amphibians and reptiles were here on Earth
millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs?
It's incredible, isn't it?
Today my friends Bridgett and Shane from the Science
Center of Iowa are going to showcase some of the
best parts of these creatures.
Let's check them out.
♪♪
The Science Center of Iowa is home to a wide range of
indigenous reptiles and amphibians.
During a visit to SCI you can catch a live snippy
feeding or hang out with some of the animal friends
up close during a cold blooded critters program.
You can even see a display of all four of the
venomous snakes found here in Iowa.
What makes all the animals at SCI so special?
They are all excellent ectotherms.
An ectotherm is the scientific term for an
animal that is cold blooded.
But this doesn't necessarily mean that they
have cold blood.
Let's take a look at the origin of the word
ectotherm.
The word ectotherm originates from the Greek
word meaning ecto, which means outside, and therm,
meaning hot.
This means ectothermic animals do not generate
heat internally, but instead their heat and
energy comes from their surroundings.
So technically their blood can be cold, but only if
their surroundings are.
♪♪
My name is Bridgett and I'm an
Exhibit Coordinator with SCI.
I work closely with the animals in the Science
Center's What on Earth exhibit.
It's amazing to see the facts that I have read and
written about for these animals happen right in
front of me in real life, like how toads use their
eyes to swallow.
Today, we're going to talk about SCI's excellent
ectotherms, learn about the differences between
reptiles and amphibians and even check out a few
tips on how you can be a back yard herpetologist,
which is a scientist that studies reptiles and
amphibians.
♪♪
The two main ectotherms at SCI are
reptiles and amphibians.
How do we tell the difference?
Reptiles are naturally dry and covered with scales.
♪♪
Amphibians have smooth skin that is
sometimes slimy and sometimes bumpy, but they
do not have scales.
♪♪
First, let's focus on reptiles with my friend
Shane.
♪♪
Hi, I'm Shane with the Science Center of Iowa
and there are lots of different reptiles in Iowa
like turtles, lizards and snakes.
But let's focus on turtles.
Did you know that there are land and water turtles
in Iowa?
But how can we tell the difference?
Well, because turtles are ectothermic, you may see
them sunning in warm areas like on logs, rocks or
even in the middle of the road.
You should never approach an animal without expert
experience.
If you need expert help, check for helpers in your
neighborhood like your local conservation officer
or area animal rehabilitation centers.
♪♪
As a reptile, a turtle's body
is made up of scales, even their shell.
The scales on their shell are made up of the same
material as our hair and fingernails.
That material is called keratin.
We can do something together.
If you take an object or just another finger and
you tap on your fingernail, well can you
feel that?
Yeah, absolutely.
And a turtle can feel it when we touch their shell.
It feels very similar.
♪♪
They can feel when something touches
their shell because the entire soft parts of their
body are connected to their shell and so is
their spine.
At the Science Center, we spend a lot of time
outisde making ovservations about the
world around us.
Sometimes, we even see turtles in the wild.
One main indicator we can observe about turtles to
tell where they live are the shapes of their feet.
Water turtles, big and small, like snapping
turtles and painted turtles all have webbed
feet.
Land turtles, like box turtles, like Peaches
here, all have long claws for digging.
You can also tell by the shape of their shell.
Land turtles will have a more domed shaped shell,
whereas water turtles will have a more flat shell to
be more aerodynamic in the water.
Even though land turtles live on land, they're
still not tortoises.
Tortoises live in different parts of the
world and have their own characteristics that are
special to just tortoises.
♪♪
Now that we know reptiles are covered in
scales, let's focus on amphibians and how their
skin is different than a reptile.
Amphibians can have smooth and wet or dry and bumpy
skin.
The most common amphibians in Iowa are frogs and
toads.
But, did you know there are also salamanders in
Iowa?
They're very sneaky.
Let's focus on frogs and toads and how we can tell
the difference.
♪♪
You may have seen an American toad
in your back yard before.
But how do we know if it's a toad?
Toads have darker, bumpier skin than frogs and are
typically not as slimy.
Frogs, like the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, are very
common in back yards too.
They can change color and it can range from gray to
green.
Frogs are smoother than a toad, and some even have
the ability to stick to vertical surfaces like
windows.
♪♪
There are lots of different kinds of frogs
in Iowa.
You're more likely to find frogs near water and toads
under decaying leaves or in flower beds.
You can also listen to the calls of different frogs
and toads to observe who is in your neighborhood.
(American Toad call)
(Western Chorus Frog call)
(Gray Tree Frog call)
Any time you can observe an
amphibian in the wild is a good sign.
As amphibians, they are important indicators to
the health of the environment.
They can absorb pollution in their environment
through their skin so they prefer to live in healthy
habitats.
The name amphibian means two lives, as these
critters start their lives off in the water.
A good way to look for signs of amphibians in the
water are for their eggs.
You can also look for different stages of their
life cycle like tadpoles.
♪♪
What are other ways to look for clues of
these excellent ectotherms in your own back yard?
♪♪
One of my favorites is snake skins.
Snakes shed their skin in one long piece, kind of
like taking off a big long sock.
Clues for snake skins look like a little strip of
plastic in the grass.
But, if you observe closely you can see the
scales and sometimes even the scales that cover the
snake's eyes.
If you're really lucky, you can see the pattern of
the scales on the shed to help you identify what
type of snake it came from.
If you find something really cool, come show off
your back yard herpitologist skills at
the collector's corner at the Science Center.
Here you can contribute to some citizen science by
making observations, asking questions, sharing
your information and even trading in the cool items
you find to display in the collector's corner here at
What on Earth.
In exchange, you can save up points to trade in for
other artifacts and activities.
♪♪
Finding things in your natural environment
is a way to celebrate and explore your relationship
with the world.
Natural artifacts can tell a story about their
origins and the history of ecosystems in which they
are found.
Collections are repositories of knowledge
and ideas.
Go outside and go beyond with SCI.
Wow, those turtles and frogs and snakes were so
awesome!
And did you see that salamander?
I'm going to challenge my boys to spot one of those
in my neighborhood so that I can see one up close.
Thank you for going beyond with Iowa PBS and the
Science Center of Iowa.
And always remember to ask questions and wonder.
That's what science is all about.
♪♪