Glossary of Herpetological and Herpetoculture Terms Information Sheet

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 thermoregulate

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 aquarium

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

Photo period - 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.