We have many pets in our class and the rules are simple:
1. Do not touch them with out permission
2. Do not feed them with out permission
3. You may look at them before and after class.
Red Ear Slider Turtles
Red-Ear Slider Turtles: Franklin, Speedy and Slowey
The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) is a semiaquatic turtle belonging to the family Emydidae. It is a subspecies of pond slider. It is the most popular pet turtle in the United States and also popular in the rest of the world. It is native only to the southern United States, but has become established in other places because of pet releases. Red-eared sliders get their name from the distinctive red mark around their ears. The "slider" part of their name comes from their ability to slide off rocks and logs and into the water quickly. This species was previously known as Troost's turtle in honor of an American herpetologist; Trachemys scripta troostii is now the scientific name for another subspecies, the Cumberland slider. The red-eared slider is known to frantically slide off rocks and logs when approached.
Ball Python
Ball Python: Missy (Above)
Python regius is a nonvenomous python species found in Africa. This is the smallest of the African pythons and is popular in the pet trade, largely due to its typically docile temperament. No subspecies are currently recognized.[2] It is also known as royal python or ball python.[3] The name "ball python" refers to the animal's tendency to curl into a ball when stressed or frightened.[4] The name "royal python" (from the Latin regius) is based in part on the story that Cleopatra supposedly wore the snake around her wrist.
Adults generally do not grow to more than 90–120 cm (3.0–3.9 ft) in length,[3] although some specimens have reached 152–182 cm (5.0–6.0 ft), but this is very rare.[5] Females tend to be slightly bigger than males, maturing at an average of 122–137 cm (4.0–4.5 ft). Males usually average around 90–107 cm (3.0–3.5 ft).[6] The build is stocky[3] while the head is relatively small. The scales are smooth[5] and both sexes have anal spurs on either side of the vent.[7] Although males tend to have larger spurs, this is not definitive, and sex is best determined via manual eversion of the male hemipenes or inserting a probe into the cloaca to find the inverted hemipenes (if male).[8] When probing to determine sex, males typically measure eight to ten subcaudal scales, and females typically measure two to four subcaudal scales.[5]
African Clawed Frog
African Clawed Frog: Hanibal (The frog that ate all his tank mates)
The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis, also known as the xenopus, African clawed toad, African claw-toed frog or the platanna) is a species of African aquatic frog of the Pipidae family. Its name is derived from the three short claws on each hind foot, which it uses to tear apart its food. The word Xenopus means "strange foot" and laevis means "smooth".
African clawed frogs can grow up to a length of 5 in (13 cm). They have a flattened head and body, but no tongue or external ears.
The species is found throughout much of Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria and Sudan to South Africa),[1] and in isolated, introduced populations in North America, South America, and Europe.[2] All species of the Pipidae family are tongueless, toothless and completely aquatic. They use their hands to shove food in their mouths and down their throats and a hyobranchial pump to draw or suck things in their mouth. Pipidae have powerful legs for swimming and lunging after food. They also use the claws on their feet to tear pieces of large food. They lack true ears but have lateral lines running down the length of the body and underside, which is how they can sense movements and vibrations in the water. They use their sensitive fingers, sense of smell, and lateral line system to find food. Pipidae are scavengers and will eat almost anything living, dying or dead and any type of organic waste.