Lesson plan
Phrynops
Phrynops is a genus of sidenecked turtles of the family Chelidae. Sometimes called the bearded toadheads, this genus inhabits waterways of South America, where it is widely distributed: they are found in the Orinoco to Amazon basin and São Francisco to Paraná and adjacent river basins of Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina (Iverson, 1992). Phrynops turtles generally achieve thermoregulation through areal basking. In order to best attain its goal, it tends to increase its basking time during mid-day during the winters to make up for the cold. Other factors such as food intake and reproduction underwater also influence the way it controls the temperature of its body. Although this is the main way it is able to maintain body temperature, food intake and reproduction rates are also influential in the matter.
Article summary
Phrynops is a genus of sidenecked turtles of the family Chelidae. Sometimes called the bearded toadheads, this genus inhabits waterways of South America, where it is widely distributed: they are found in the Orinoco to Amazon basin and São Francisco to Paraná and adjacent river basins of Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina (Iverson, 1992). Phrynops turtles generally achieve thermoregulation through areal basking. In order to best attain its goal, it tends to increase its basking time during mid-day during the winters to make up for the cold. Other factors such as food intake and reproduction underwater also influence the way it controls the temperature of its body. Although this is the main way it is able to maintain body temperature, food intake and reproduction rates are also influential in the matter.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.