426 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



Figure 300. The copperhead {Agki.^lrudon}. Its common name comes from the fact that the 

 top of the head is copper-colored. Natural size 33 inches long. (Courtesy of N.Y. Zoological 

 Society. ) 



release for one minute, then retighten; (2) 

 make a cross-cut incision, each cut Vi inch 

 in length and V4 inch in depth at each fang 

 mark; (3) apply suction by mouth, suction 

 cup, or other device; (4) have the patient 

 lie down and keep quiet; (5) seek a phy- 

 sician and have him inject antivenom as 

 soon as possible. A person suffering from 

 snake bite should not run or get overheated, 

 take whiskey, inject potassium permanga- 

 nate into the wound, or cauterize the site of 

 the bite with hot irons, strong acids, or any- 

 thing of a similar nature. 



Contrary to what many people think, fear 

 of snakes is not inborn in children but is 

 due entirely to conditioning by their elders. 



Fossil reptiles 



The reptiles now living are only a rem- 

 nant of the great hordes that populated the 

 earth during the Mesozoic Era. During this 



Age of Reptiles, a period of about 130 mil- 

 lion years, enormous dinosaurs roamed the 

 land, ichthyosaurs dominated the sea, and 

 pterosaurs ruled the air. Today, compara- 

 tively puny representatives of only 4 of the 

 16 known orders of reptiles survive. 



Dinosaur means terrible lizard. The dino- 

 saurs probably lived in swamps and on the 

 uplands; remains have been found in most 

 continents. Some species measured over 85 

 feet in length. Both herbivorous and carniv- 

 orous forms existed. Brontosaurus (Fig. 302) 

 was herbivorous and about 75 feet long; 

 remains have been found in Wyoming and 

 Colorado. Stegosaurus reached a length of 

 about 28 feet and was also herbivorous. It 

 possessed huge triangular plates along the 

 back. Remains have been discovered in Wy- 

 oming and Colorado. Protoceratops (Fig. 

 303) was a small, hornless, herbivorous 

 dinosaur only about 6 feet long; fossils were 

 discovered in the deserts of Mongolia. 



