Since 1821

Natural History Cabinet

IES Canarias Cabrera Pinto

The frog and the toad are examples of the amphibians we keep in the Museum. They live a double life because they live in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. The first phase of their lives, as tadpoles, is in the water. They don´t have legs, can swim and breathe through gills. They undergo a metamorphosis and become adults with lungs, legs and a very thin skin that always needs a moist environment.

Did you know that they absorb oxygen through their skin?

All adult amphibians are carnivorous, and they hunt their prey while waiting patiently, without being seen as their skin can be easily camouflaged. Some frogs leap great distances because of their hind legs, and most of them release their long, sticky tongue towards insects, earthworms and snails.

They have to live in damp places, which aren´t very cold because they are not able to control their body temperature, they must stay away from dry places and salt water.

Did you know that newts, salamanders and caecilians also belong to the amphibian world?

Geographic distribution: temperate and tropical zones.

Turtles and tortoises are reptiles that belong to the CHELONIA group.

The body is enclosed in a shell in which thoracic vertebrae and ribs are fused. They have no teeth, but their jaws have horny sheaths.

They eat assorted things but most of them are omnivorous.

They are oviparous and they live in freshwater, saltwater or on land. They are the longest living animals. Sea turtles lay their eggs on the beach, in fact, the very beach where they were born, sometimes they must travel hundreds or even thousands of kilometres to do it.

Did you know that the size of turtles can vary from 8 cm to 1.8 m? an example of this is the leatherback turtle which can reach up to 1.8 m

Sea turtles are considered mythological animals and have been crossing the oceans, for over 200 million years. They are currently threatened by human presence.

You can find five species of sea turtles in the Canary Islands, including the pig-nosed turtle and the green turtle; not counting the species introduced as pets.

They are the first vertebrates that are fully adapted to terrestrial environments.

They have evolved in such a way thanks to a waterproof skin with scales and their egg shell.

Most are carnivorous, while some of them are omnivorous and a few are herbivorous. They have many resources to kill their prey: they can crush them with their jaws, hit them or use constriction and venom.

Perhaps that's why these animals are feared and associated with evil; It was a snake that gave Eve the apple and the villainous Jafar in Aladdin is a cobra. Descriptions related to reptiles are often derogatory such as: reptile, snake, and snake pit.

They can be oviparous, viviparous and some of them ovoviviparous.

The Reptile class includes the orders: CROCODILIA: crocodiles and caimans, SQUAMATA: lizards and snakes and CHELONIA: turtles and tortoises.

The terrestrial reptile species living in the Canary Islands are 6 lizards, 5 geckos and 3 “lisas”.

Did you know that out of these 14 species, 13 are endemic?