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- The most obvious trait is that all squamata develop an epidermis covered in scales
-All squamata shed their skin in some sort of way. To be more specific, some squamates shed all their skin at once while others shed in pieces.
- Additionally, Squamates have very flexible and strong skull and jaws. This allows them to feed on extremely larger prey.
https://www.thoughtco.com/squamates-profile-130318

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-The majority of squamata are carnivores and they obtain their food by swallowing their prey whole, using their teeth to grip.
- Males and females mate and reproduce. Females can either lay eggs or give birth to live young. Although some species are parthenogenic which means the female can reproduce by herself, making identical copies.
- A portion of squamtes communicate with each other by changing colors and others use chemical symbols called pheromones. Some even use visual symbols such as bobbing heads or moving arms.
-http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3655/Snakes-Lizards-Squamata-BEHAVIOR-REPRODUCTION.html
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http://animals.net/lizard/

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By: Mike Dougherty

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-Some internal characteristics between all squamates is their 3 chambered heart.
-Another quality is the fact that they are cold blooded which means they have to regulate their own internal body temperature based upon their environment.
http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/reptilian-cardiovascular-anatomy-and-physiology-evaluation-and-monitoring-proceedings

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Squamata can live in hot conditions in the dessert to warm and moist conditions in the rain forest. They must have access to sunlight in order to regulate their body temp. Also, they must live near water and have some sort of shelter. Some, like worm lizards, are fossorial which means they live underground and others are arboreal which means they live up in trees.
http://animals.jrank.org/pages/3653/Snakes-Lizards-Squamata-HABITAT.html

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Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum-Chordata
Class- Reptilia
Order -Squamata
Family- Viperidae
Genus - Bitis
Species- Gabonica
Location found & habitat specific information:
-found in the savannas and rain forests of sub Saharan Africa.
-Live in damp areas such as Tropical rain forests and woodlands.
- Found at lower altitude, but some tend to be found at altitudes of 1500 meters or greater.
Physical characteristics (internal & external):
- largest and heaviest snake in the genus Bitis.
-Can reach up to 6 feet long, or 1.8 meters and weigh up to 20 kg.  -They have the largest fangs among venomous snakes, reaching up to 2 inches long.
-Its colors help it to blend in tremendously on the forest floor.
-They have very potent venom
Behavioral characteristics:
-eats birds and mammals but sometimes they feed on insects and rodents.
-Can feed on a full size rabbit.
-Attack prey ambush style by using their camo instead of hunting down their prey.  They detect vibrations and use chemical signals to find prey.
-In mating season the male snakes tend to combat each other. The females breed every 2 to 3 years and their gestation period is 12 months and they give birth to live offspring in late summer time. Each liter consists of 8 to 43 but only about 24 will survive.
https://snake-facts.weebly.com/gaboon-viper.html

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Taxonomy, Arabian Chameleon (arabicus Matschie)  

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Taxonomy, Arabian Chameleon (arabicus Matschie)  

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Kingdom- Animalia

Phylum- Chordata
Class- Reptilia
Order- Squamata
Family- Chamaeleonidae
Genus- Chamaeleo
Species- Arabicus Matschie
Location found & habitat specific information-
-They are native to the southern Arabian Peninsula
-Found in dry woodlands within monsoon belt. They are often found on ground and aren't as arboreal as a typical chameleon.
Physical characteristics (internal & external):
-Can change colors
-They can view their surrounding at 180 degrees without moving head
-They have a very long tongue.
-They have specialized feet in order to grasp or climb. Their tail provides balance and it coils when it is threatened.
-They have a three chambered heart.
Behavioral characteristics:
-Many think that chameleons just use their ability to change color to blend in. Really they are using that method in order to communicate. Each layer of skin has a different pigment.
-They use their great vision and long tongue to obtain food.
-They reproduce sexually and lay eggs about 3 to 6 weeks after gestation period.
- Males attract females by by swaying their heads, inflating their throats making their body look large, and show their brightest colors. The way Chameleons travel is independently, they only interact during mating season.
-http://animals.mom.me/parts-chameleon-3548.html
-https://andrewsp2.weebly.com/reproduction.html

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Taxonomy, Green Iguana, (Iguana, Iguana). 

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Taxonomy, Green Iguana, (Iguana, Iguana). 

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Kingdom- Animalia
Phylum- Chordata
Class-Reptilia
Order-Squamata
Family-Iguanidae
Genus- Iguana
Species- Iguana
Location found & habitat specific information:
-The green iguana ranges from many different areas such as Central America, Northern Mexico, some Caribbean Islands, and areas in southern Brazil.
- The iguanas spend most of their time in the trees or canopy. They live in tropical forests and near the water.
Physical characteristics (internal & external):
-They have very strong jaws with razor sharp teeth. They have tails that are used as a defense mechanism. Its tail can detach in case of emergency, and later it will grow back
-Can reach up to 6 and a half feet long and weigh around 11 pounds.
- It has a very large head and dewlap along with very distinctive spike like features down its back and tail. Its scales are usually some shade of green.
-Iguanas do not have a diaphragm, they rely on muscles on rib cage to move air.
- Have a 3 chambered heart
- Have lungs that have the ability to take a portion of their blood and store it away from the lungs when it is not at use. This helps them to stay under water for a very long time (about 20 min).
Behavioral characteristics:
-The Green Iguana is a herbivore
-It spends most of the time (90%) doing absolutely nothing, they are very inactive.
-They are slow moving but when escaping predators they are very fast and can swim well.
-They are very defensive over their territory
-They communicate with their dewlap
- Green iguanas breed during dry season. After mating, the female iguana moves to nesting sites about 2 months later where they lay 17 to 76 eggs and burrow them in the ground.
-The eggs hatch after about 3 months of incubation
http://reptile-parrots.com/forums/showthread.php/825-Iguana-Internal-Body-Parts
https://www.arkive.org/green-iguana/iguana-iguana/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/g/green-iguana/

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Taxonomy is very important regarding the relatedness between species. First of all, taxonomic groups range from broad to specific, kingdom is most general and species is most specific. This is a method of seeing how certain species are related. For example, any species that is located under order squamata all share the same class, phylum and kingdom.  Additionally, the major characteristics of order squamata such as shedding of the skin, a 3 chambered heart, and flexible jaws and skulls are all shared among the taxonomic groups of Family, Genus, and Species. When seeing how species compare in taxonomy, one can compare that at a certain point in time organisms were very similar before they evolved and diversified into their own species with a variety of characteristics.

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Fossil Record
Fossil record is a very important piece of evidence when researching evolution in organisms. It allows scientists to compare and contrast certain traits from long ago in periods such as the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic to today.  My fossils show great evidence of evolution, for example fossil #1 is a turtle skull. This fossil has similarities to today's turtle skulls, but it is much more basic when comparing. Today's turtle skull has more features because it evolved to its environment in order to survive and reproduce the best way possible. Also, fossil #3 has a very similar shape and structure to the skull of an iguana.These fossils from millions of years ago have evolved into the very unique species that we have today however, it shows that they are all related.

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Name of fossil: Lytoloma Elegans

Age of fossil: Upper Cretaceous
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil-Pictures/Reptile-Fossils.htm

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Name of fossil: Pterosaurs Sinopterus gui

Age of fossil:  Lower Cretaceous
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil-Pictures/Reptile-Fossils.htm

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Name of fossil: Gilmoreteius sp.

Age of fossil: Upper Cretaceous
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil-Pictures/Reptile-Fossils.htm

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Name of fossil: Keichousaurus hui

Age of fossil : Early Triassic
http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil-Pictures/Reptile-Fossils.htm

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Name of fossil: Slavoia darevskii

Age of fossil: Cretaceous
http://fossilworks.org/bridge.pl?a=taxonInfo&taxon_no=57292

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Name of Fossil: Dinilysia patagonica
Age of Fossil : Cretaceous
https://academic.oup.com/biolinnean/article/103/2/441/3804813

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Black Mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis)

Boa Constrictor (  Boa constrictor)

King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

Gaboon Viper ( Bitis gabonica )

Garter snake (Thamnophis)

Komodo Dragon  (Varanus komodoensis)

Frilled Neck Lizard (Chlamydosaurus kingii)

Desert Iguana (Dipsosaurus dorsalis)

Long Nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia wislizenii)

Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma)

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Biochemistry
It is very known that many lizards, including the Green Iguana can grow their tail back after it has been detached or forced off. It is able to grow back with the use of a protein called 5-bromodeoxy-uridine. This protein helps regenerate any lost cartilage, and it is used during the "Synthesis" phase in the cell cycle. When replicating in the S phase, 5-bromodeoxy-uridine is used in replace for thymine, it has a very similar chemical structure with a minor difference. This minor difference plays a huge role when generating all the lost cartilage in a lizard tail. This helps prove evolution in squamata because often times predators attack and grab onto the tail. Now certain squamates have the ability to escape this scenario by detaching their tail and later growing it back. Overtime they acquired this crucial protein to help them survive in their environment.
- Below are the structures of Thymidine, and 5-bromodeoxy-uridine.
https://www.bio-rad-antibodies.com/brdu-bromodeoxyuridine.html
-https://www.researchgate.net/publication/279460181_Original_and_regenerating_lizard_tail_cartilage_contain_putative_resident_stemprogenitor_cells

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Anatomy and Physiology
One common anatomical structure within Order Squamata is the Jacobson's Organ. This organ plays a major role in the majority of organisms. This organ is a group of sensory cells found within the main nasal chamber that detects major odor particles. Lizards and snakes bring the odor particles into their mouth by sticking out their tongue. This organ plays a major role in the squamatas senses.  This shows evolution because this organ is also found in in small mammals (homologous structure) such as mice, dogs, rats and cats which means they once were related before they diverged. Another common structure is that some snakes have underdeveloped hip bones and limbs. This is evidence towards evolution because it proves that snakes evolved from lizards and still have similar structures. This is an example of a vestigial structure because the hip bones were functional in ancestors but not the species itself.
https://squamata.wikispaces.com/Anatomical+and+Physiology

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Embryology
Embryology plays an important role when proving evolution among organisms. It is the study of the development of an embryo. All embryo's of squamates contain a specialized membrane that stretches from the embryo to around the inner egg. This membrane later enters inside the yolk which results in the development of a yolk sac. This happens to all squamatic embryos. This proves evolution because all Order Squamata have identical characteristics within the development of their embryos. It shows that squamata have evolved from a common ancestor and obtain specialized traits to strive in nature.
https://squamata.wikispaces.com/Embryology+Evidence

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Gradual equilibrium is the belief that new species arrive through a regular series of small changes that occur over a long period of time. This is how squamata evolved and currently how they are evolving to this day. The reasoning behind this is the fact that some species display vestigial structures that were once functional in ancestors. If their speciation was punctuated all vestigial structures would not be visible among squamates. One of the most diverse groups  with over 10,000 species evolved very gradually.
https://ordersquamata.weebly.com/mechanisms-of-evolution.html

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Divergent Evolution states that overtime a group of organisms have become more and more dissimilar. This is the way in which squamata evolved based upon their unique and specialized traits. The fact that there are around 10,000 scaled reptile species shows that squamata have become significantly unrelated over a long period of time. Seeing that snakes lost their legs as they evolved proves how dissimilar lizards and snakes came to be within the taxonomic group.

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Squamates are located all over the planet through the process of immigration. To be more specific, some are located in Africa, some in Asia, and some in the US. As they enter new populations and environments they must adapt and reproduce. An example of this is the Italian Wall Lizard. These lizards immigrated and are found in parts of New York and have adapted to the environment overtime.
https://ordersquamata.weebly.com/mechanisms-of-evolution.html

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Artificial selection plays a small role in the evolution of squamata but it does happen in our everyday lives. Overtime, people have learned to domesticate and use them as pets. Now, people have begun to breed certain scaled reptiles together to gain desired characteristics in a lizard. Two species that are always bred together are the bearded dragon and the leopard gecko. This causes the species to evolve unnaturally.
http://animals.net/lizard/

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Darwin's  Theories of Evolution (Decent with Modification and Natural Section) 

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Darwin's  Theories of Evolution (Decent with Modification and Natural Section) 

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Descent with Modification is simply the passing of traits from parent to offspring, and it is a major part in Darwin's Theory of evolution. Descent with modification creates variations in the offspring's genes. This process is very recognizable based on all the genetic variations in squamates. In evolution, the most favorable traits are passed down from parent to offspring and this occurred in order squamata through the process of directional selection. This is when the most extreme form of a trait becomes favored. It is obvious that squamtes undergo directional selection. This is because many extreme traits are favored in squamata. One extreme trait that has been favored for a long period of time is the limbless body of snakes. This happened when an ancestor with functioning limbs and hips began to loss its need for these structures through natural selection. This trait began to be very favored in specific habitats resulting in the expansion of it. Directional Selection lead to the evolution of all the extreme traits that scaled reptiles have today.
https://squamata.wikispaces.com/Darwin%27s+Theories+and+Connections

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https://www.google.com/search?q=phylogenetic+tree+between+lizards+and+snakes&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS793US793&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiSude1oLjbAhUIq1kKHVVyDLcQsAQIJQ&biw=1280&bih=566#imgrc=OyjlLzamFhP_sM:
This shows the evolutionary relationships that squamata have with other organisms.