Difference between revisions of "Chelonian Reproduction - Anatomy & Physiology"
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− | + | [[Image:Reproductive Tract Male Chelonian.jpg|thumb|right|150px|<p>Anatomy of the Male Chelonian</p><sup> © L.Wilkie 2008</sup>]] | |
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=== Testes === | === Testes === | ||
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* Male mounts from the rear. | * Male mounts from the rear. | ||
* Internal fertilization | * Internal fertilization | ||
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+ | [[Category:Exotic Reproduction]] | ||
+ | [[Category:Bullet Points]] |
Latest revision as of 14:07, 5 July 2012
Male
Testes
- Long, yellow and oval in shape.
- Attached to the cranioventral pole of the kidneys.
- Ductus deferens runs alongside ureters to the cloaca.
Phallus
- Ventral proctodeum is modified and thickened into a single phallus.
- Two pairs of fibrous tissue separated by a central trough.
- Cannot be inverted (unlike lizards and snakes).
- Highly vascular.
- When inserted into the female cloaca it becomes engorged.
- Semen is conveyed through the central sulcus.
- A retractor muscle returns the phallus back into the cloaca.
Female
Ovary
- Paired ovaries lie symmetrically, cranial to the kidneys.
- Irregular, sac-like.
- Different sized ova that become prominent with mature follicles.
Sperm Storage in the Female Tract
- Females in some species can retain sperm in their uterus.
- Can successfully fertilize two or more clutches, often several years after copulation.
The Egg
All chelonians are oviparous.
Temperate Species
- Lay eggs with soft, flexible, leathery shells.
- Can absorb and loose moisture.
- Develop more rapidly.
- Incubation ~2 months.
Tropical Species and Land Tortoises
- Lay eggs with a hard, brittle shell.
- Prevents eater loss.
- Develop less rapidly.
- Incubation ~8-9 months.
- Egg hatching depends on climate conditions such as spring warmth and seasonal rains.
Copulation
- Courtship and mating is very vocal.
- Crying, grunting and barking
- Male mounts from the rear.
- Internal fertilization