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Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists

Appreciate the natural wonders of Sabino Canyon

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Fish, Amphibians & Reptiles

A fish is any member of a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic craniate animals that lack limbs with digits. Most fish are ectothermic (“cold-blooded”), allowing their body temperatures to vary as ambient temperatures change, though some of the large active swimmers like white shark and tuna can hold a higher core temperature. Fish are abundant in most bodies of water. They can be found in nearly all aquatic environments, from high mountain streams (e.g., char and gudgeon) to the abyssal and even hadal depths of the deepest oceans (e.g., gulpers and anglerfish). At 32,000 species, fish exhibit greater species diversity than any other group of vertebrates.

Amphibians are ectothermic, tetrapod vertebrates of the class Amphibia (Greek ἀμφí, amphi, “both” + βíος, bios, “life”). They inhabit a wide variety of habitats with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Amphibians typically start out as larva living in water, but some species have developed behavioral adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely upon skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators and in recent decades there has been a dramatic decline in amphibian populations for many species around the globe.

Reptiles the class Reptilia, are an evolutionary grade of animals, comprising today’s turtles, crocodilians, snakes, lizards, and tuatara, as well as many extinct groups. A reptile is any amniote (a tetrapod whose egg has an additional membrane, originally to allow them to lay eggs on land) that is neither a mammal nor a bird. Living reptiles have scales or scutes (rather than fur or feathers) and are cold-blooded.

Black-Necked Garter Snake

Black-Necked Garter Snake

They are often encountered mid-morning or late afternoons foraging for tadpoles in shallow water. They also eat frogs, …

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

Black-Tailed Rattlesnake

Like other pit vipers they use heat-sensing pits to detect warm-blooded predators and prey. Black-tailed Rattlesnakes …

Desert Tortoise

Desert Tortoise standing on gravel

A full-grown desert tortoise is approximately one foot long, weighs about 15 pounds and has a life expectancy of 80 …

Eastern Collared Lizard

Eastern Collared Lizard

This lizard becomes bipedal in pursuit of prey or when fleeing predators such as large snakes, hawks and …

Gila Monster

Gila Monster

The hide has a beaded appearance because it is made of tightly woven scales that each enclose a rounded particle of …

Gopher Snake

Gopher Snake

Gopher snakes are Arizona’s longest snakes. They have been reported up to 92 inches (7.66 feet) long but 4 feet is more …

Madrean Alligator Lizard

Madrean Alligator Lizard

The Madrean Alligator lizard is active during the day and evening. The Madrean Alligator Lizard is a large (to 5.5 …

Red-spotted Toad

Male and Female Red Spotted Toad in mating embrace

Red-spotted Toads breed during monsoon season and are readily identified by the piercing trill of their mating …

Regal Horned Lizard

Regal Horned Lizard

This lizard sometimes squirts foul tasting blood from its eyes when threatened or captured. Regal Horned Lizards are …

Sonoran Desert Toad

Sonoran Desert Toad 2

Sonoran Desert Toads exude toxic secretions that, if ingested, can cause hallucinations, paralysis or even death in …

Tiger Rattlesnake

Tiger Rattlesnake 1

They often fail to rattle and seldom strike; however if they do their venom is highly toxic. The Tiger rattlesnake is …

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake

Easily identified by the black and white striped tail. The Western Diamondback Rattlesnake, a pit-viper, is Arizona's …

Zebra-Tailed Lizard

Zebra-Tailed Lizard looking over is shoulder with tail raised high

Zebra-tailed Lizards are very fast and can often be observed waving their banded tails. The photograph above shows a …

Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists
5700 N Sabino Canyon Road
Tucson, AZ 85750

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