Re: [Re: Salt?]

[archosaur@usa.net]

zenlizard@juno.com wrote:
On Fri, 27 Aug 1999 11:37:02 -0700 Betty  writes:
>hell, do crocodiles or monitors or birds need salt?)

Don't know about crocs, or birds specifically.  Monitors have adaptations
for ridding themselves of excess salt.  They sneeze.

-zenlizard

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Same thing for iguanas (with marine iguanas being prime examples). 

As for crocs, osmoregulation is just as important for them, especially the sea
going varieties like Indopacifics. They excrete excess salt through glands in
the tongue along with the skin, while the cloaca plays a large part in
regulating salt and water absorption.

Sea turtles cry out their excess salt.

As for the original question, reptiles do indeed need salt just like all other
vertebrates, and maintain the same balance as any other vertebrate.

I'm not sure how birds deal with excess salt (are they mainly renal, like
mammals?), but I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of them sneezed it or even
if sea gulls had salt glands near the mouth area. 

I wouldn't be surprised if deinosaurs came up with novel solutions themselves.


Perhaps that was an alternative use for lambeosaurine crests :)

Archosaur J

Jurassosaurus's Reptipage: A page devoted to the study of the reptilia:

http://reptilis.webjump.com

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