What makes reptiles a reptile?

What is the function of the reptile kidney?

Reptile kidneys maintain a constant extracellular environment within the body. They excrete waste products, maintain normal concentrations of salt and water, regulate acid-base balance, and produce hormones and vitamins.

Do reptiles have kidney veins?

Reptiles have a renal portal system. In the snake the parietal veins from the body wall and the caudal vein from the tail pass through the kidneys before anastomosing with the ventral abdominal vein. In the lizard the caudal tail vein and the internal and external iliac veins all feed through the kidneys before returning to the heart.

What is the difference between a snake and a lizard vein?

In the snake the parietal veins from the body wall and the caudal vein from the tail pass through the kidneys before anastomosing with the ventral abdominal vein. In the lizard the caudal tail vein and the internal and external iliac veins all feed through the kidneys before returning to the heart.

Do snakes have kidneys?

Snake Urinary System. The urinary system of snakes consists of paired lobulated kidneys and ureters that empty into the dorsal urodeum.

What is the shape of the kidney in reptiles?

They are elongated, lobulated and somewhat triangular in cross section. All reptiles have metanephric kidneys that are simpler than the mammalian counterpart. There are decreased number of glomeruli (some species are aglomerular) and there is no loop of Henle.

Where are the kidneys in snakes?

The urinary system of snakes consists of paired lobulated kidneys and ureters that empty into the dorsal urodeum. Paired kidneys are located in the dorsal caudal coelomic cavity with the right kidney cranial to the left.

What is the urinary system of a snake?

The urinary system of snakes consists of paired lobulated kidneys and ureters that empty into the dorsal urodeum.

Do reptiles have metanephric kidneys?

All reptiles have metanephric kidneys that are simpler than the mammalian counterpart. There are decreased number of glomeruli (some species are aglomerular) and there is no loop of Henle. They may have one or more renal arteries and in some species, there is a separate branch of the ureter draining each lobule.

What is the difference between ureteral urine in mammals and reptiles?

Consequently ureteral urine in reptiles contains lare amounts of protein compared with that in mammals, which contains alomost none. This is not lost to the animal because the ureteral urine, once it enters the urodeum, is moved via peristalisis into the rectum.

Why don’t snakes have a bladder?

Simple answer is that snakes do not have a bladder to store urine, the concentrated waste travels straight through the ureters to the cloaca (common sex organ/solid/liquid entry/exit). Food passes much slower through a reptiles intestines than a mammalian system, taking more nutrients and minimizing waste.

Why do birds and reptiles urinate?

Thank you! In short, urinating is a balance between getting rid of waste and keeping hydrated. Birds and reptiles ‘urinate’ in a way to conserve their water.

Why do reptiles convert nitrogenous wastes to uric acid?

Terrestrial reptiles, such as most snakes and lizards, must conserve body water, and they convert their nitrogenous wastes to insoluble, harmless uric acid, which forms a more or less solid mass in the cloaca.

Do birds have urine and feces?

Birds have a single opening for both waste and reproduction, called a cloaca. Their kidneys also function a bit differently from those of mammals, concentrating some uric acid waste into a chalky solid called urates. So, a bird dropping often consists of dark feces, white urates, and some liquid urine.

What do amphibians excrete from the body?

What do amphibians excrete? The kidneys produce urine that is excreted from the body through the cloaca, an opening in amphibians used for the excretory, intestinal, and reproductive tracts. Nitrogenous wastes can be present as ammonia, urea, or uric acid.

What is excreted from the body in frogs?

The kidneys produce urine that is excreted from the body through the cloaca, an opening in amphibians used for the excretory, intestinal, and reproductive tracts. Nitrogenous wastes can be present as ammonia, urea, or uric acid. Arboreal species like tree frogs excrete uric acid to conserve limited water.

What is the excretion system in reptiles?

The excretion system is also referred to as the renal system. The arrangement of the stomach and the excretory system in most of the reptiles can be easily compared to that of the arrangement present in the higher vertebrates.

What is nitrogenous waste in birds and reptiles?

Nitrogenous Waste in Birds and Reptiles: Uric Acid. These include (a) ammonia, (b) urea, and (c) uric acid. Birds, reptiles, and most terrestrial arthropods, such as insects, are called uricothelic organisms because they convert toxic ammonia to uric acid or the closely-related compound guanine (guano), rather than urea.

Why do birds produce uric acid instead of urea?

Birds and reptiles have evolved the ability to convert toxic ammonia into uric acid or guanine rather than urea. Key Points. Nitrogenous wastes in the body tend to form toxic ammonia, which must be excreted. Mammals such as humans excrete urea, while birds, reptiles, and some terrestrial invertebrates produce uric acid as waste.

What animal converts ammonia to uric acid?

Birds, reptiles, and most terrestrial arthropods convert toxic ammonia to uric acid or the closely related compound guanine (guano) instead of urea. Mammals also form some uric acid during breakdown of nucleic acids. Uric acid is a compound similar to purines found in nucleic acids.

Do birds urinate urea?

As I understand it, birds don’t urinate, urea and other water soluble stuff are pushed out with the faeces. I’m told that many reptiles do the same thing. Mammals, on the other hand, have all kinds of extra plumbing to push urea etc. out through (or near) the reproductive organs.

What causes gout in reptiles?

If the reptile becomes dehydrated, or renal blockage or infection occurs, then excretion of uric acid is reduced and can lead to gout as is seen in birds. The heart is three-chambered, with two atria and a common ventricle situated within the pericardial sac, but it despite this functions as a four chambered organ.

How do frogs get rid of waste?

Frogs, like most amphibians, excrete solid and liquid waste through an orifice known as the cloaca. Liquid waste enters the cloaca for expulsion through the urinary bladder.

What are the different parts of the digestive system of amphibians?

The pancreas, connected liver, gall bladder and long intestine are common structures of the digestive system. Similar to other vertebrates, such as humans, a spinal cord controls the nerves through the body. As for the excretory system of amphibians, the main structure, being the cloaca, removes uric acid and feces from the body.

What is the difference between reptiles kidneys and amphibians?

Unlike the kidneys of mammals and birds, reptile kidneys are unable to produce liquid urine more concentrated than their body fluid. What are amphibians body covering? Amphibians have smooth, slimy skin that is covered with mucus secretions. This keeps their skin moist and allows oxygen to pass into their bodies.