Glossary Of Common Reptile Terms

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A post a little different than the norm, we give you a glossary of common terms used in the reptile industry to help our readers better understand the articles posted.

• 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 thermo-regulate
• 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.