428 



COLLEGE ZOOLOGY 



2 . % ''*^- ■ 



Figure 303. Protoceratops (an armored dinosaur) with its eggs. The discovery of its eggs 

 proved that some dinosaurs at least were hatched from eggs hke turtles; furthermore, it is unusual 

 in that all stages of growth from the egg to the adult are represented by fossils. (Courtesy of 

 American Museum of Natural History.) 



tive rodents. The U.S. Department of Agri- 

 culture estimates that the value of the larger 

 snakes to the farmer is somewhere between 

 $50 and $75. 



The turtles and tortoises rank first as food 

 for man. Especially worthy of mention are 

 the green turtle, the diamondback terrapin, 

 and the soft-shelled turtle. Certain lizards 

 such as the iguana of tropical America form 

 a valuable addition to the food supply in 

 various localities. The flesh of the rattlesnake 

 is said to have a distinctly agreeable flavor. 

 There is a fair and growing market for 

 canned rattlesnake meat. 



Skins of the lizards, snakes, and croco- 

 dilians are used rather extensively for the 

 manufacture of articles that need to com- 

 bine beauty of surface with durability. The 

 alligators in this country have decreased so 

 rapidly because of the value of their hides 

 that they will be of no great economic im- 

 portance unless they are consistently pro- 

 tected or grown on farms. Tortoise shell, 



especially that procured from the horny 

 covering of the carapace of the hawksbill 

 turtle and some others, is used for manu- 

 facture of combs and ornaments of various 

 kinds. 



As previously stated, the poisonous snakes 

 of the United States are of very little danger 

 to man. In tropical countries, especially 

 India, venomous snakes cause a larger death 

 rate than that due to any other group of 

 animals. The Gila monster (Fig. 296), 

 which is one of two poisonous lizards and 

 the only one inhabiting the United States, 

 attacks man only when handled carelessly 

 and rarely inflicts a fatal wound. 



A BRIEF CLASSIFICATION 

 OF LIVING REPTILIA 



(For reference purposes only) 



Class Reptilia. Reptiles are cold-blooded 

 vertebrates covered with horny scales or plates; 



