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60-504: The precise definition of herpetology is the study of ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapods . This definition of "herps" (otherwise called "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") excludes fish ; however, it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. For instance, groups such as the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists have co-published journals and hosted conferences to foster

120-628: A bachelor's and master's degree is being introduced by the Bologna process . Under the new Bologna reform, universities in Europe are introducing the Bachelor level (BA or BS) degree, often by dividing a five-year Master-level program into two parts (three-year Bachelor's + two-year Master's), where students are not obligated to continue with the second Master's-degree part. These new bachelor's degrees are similar in structure to British bachelor's degrees. If there

180-1311: A bachelor's degree 's diploma , which usually takes four or, in the case of Law , Veterinary , Geology and Engineering , five years to complete; or a professional diploma, which normally require five or, in the case of medicine , six years to complete. In the United States , undergraduate education refers to a student who is studying for a bachelor's degree. The most common bachelor's degrees are Bachelor of Arts ( BA /AB) and Bachelor of Science ( BS /SB), but other degrees such as Bachelor of Fine Arts ( BFA ), Bachelor of Business Administration ( BBA ), Bachelor of Music ( BM ), Bachelor of Social Work ( BSW ), Bachelor of Engineering/Bachelor of Science in Engineering ( BEng /BSE), Bachelor of Science in Nursing ( BSN ), Bachelor of Business Administration/Bachelor of Science in Business Administration ( BBA /BSBA), Bachelor of Education ( Ed.B ), Bachelor of Liberal Arts ( BLA /ALB), and Bachelor of Architecture ( BArch ) are also possible. Most commonly these degrees require four years of full-time study after high school . An additional accolade to

240-482: A university of applied sciences . These two institutions differ from each other in the level students learn abstract concepts. Education at universities is aimed at research and fundamental principles while at universities of applied sciences it concentrates on applying knowledge in a vocation. Universities of applied sciences typically do not offer master and PhD programs. Students in Scotland usually enter university in

300-618: A certain level of income, and with the state paying all fees for students from the poorest backgrounds. UK students are generally entitled to student loans for maintenance with repayment contingent on income. Unlike in other European countries, the British government does not own the universities' assets and university staff are not civil servants. United Kingdom universities are therefore better described as autonomous, intellectually-independent institutions with public funding, rather than public universities per se. The crown does not control syllabi, with

360-557: A college must meet before it is allowed to call itself a university. Institutions seeking to grow have pursued various steps to turn two-year junior colleges into community colleges, community colleges into four-year colleges, awarding baccalaureate degrees, sometimes while still a community college, and colleges into universities, with graduate (post-baccalaureate) programs. In Bangladesh , three-year undergraduate programs are known as Degree (Pass) courses and four-year undergraduate programs are known as Honours courses. In Hong Kong ,

420-465: A college or university. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree . For example, in the United States, a student pursuing an associate or bachelor's degree is known as an undergraduate student while a student pursuing a master's or doctoral degree is a graduate student . Upon completion of courses and other requirements of an undergraduate program ,

480-571: A competitive entrance exam known as Vestibular (a concept somewhat similar to the Baccalauréat in France). A later system introduced in 2009, adopted by most federal universities, uses the high school national examination ( ENEM ) result as part or a replacement of the Vestibular grade. Depending on the chosen course, upon graduating the student is granted: a technologist diploma, three years to complete,

540-653: A fast pace by adding nearly 20,000 colleges and more than 8 million students in a decade from 2000–01 to 2010–11. As of 2020, India has over 1000 universities, with a break up of 54 central universities , 416 state universities , 125 deemed universities , 361 private universities , 7 Institute under State Legislature Act , and 159 Institutes of National Importance which include IIMs, AIIMS, IITs, IIITs, IISERs and NITs among others. Other institutions include 52,627 colleges as government degree colleges , private colleges, standalone institutes and post-graduate research institutions, functioning under these universities as reported by

600-625: A fifth stage covering college and university programs leading to baccalaureate, professional, master's and doctorate degrees. The pre-primary or preparatory classes, called kachi (literally, unripe) or Nursery school , were formally integrated into the education system in 1988. Students in England , Wales , and Northern Ireland may usually enter university from the age of eighteen, often having studied A-levels and thus having had thirteen to fifteen years of schooling. Occasionally students who finish A Level or equivalent qualifications early (after skipping

660-511: A given body mass. As a consequence, endotherms generally rely on higher food consumption, and commonly on food of higher energy content. Such requirements may limit the carrying capacity of a given environment for endotherms as compared to its carrying capacity for ectotherms. Because ectotherms depend on environmental conditions for body temperature regulation, as a rule, they are more sluggish at night and in early mornings. When they emerge from shelter, many diurnal ectotherms need to heat up in

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720-417: A profession. In some states considerable attention has been given to make sure that community college courses in fact prepare the students for the continuation courses they will encounter at the local college; this process of bringing courses into sequence is called articulation . Some community colleges have automatic enrollment agreements with a local college or university, where the community college provides

780-744: A season, or even for years, depending on the species and circumstances. Owners of reptiles may use an ultraviolet light system to assist their pets' basking. Ectotherms rely largely on external heat sources such as sunlight to achieve their optimal body temperature for various bodily activities. Accordingly, they depend on ambient conditions to reach operational body temperatures. In contrast, endothermic animals maintain nearly constant high operational body temperatures largely by reliance on internal heat produced by metabolically active organs (liver, kidney, heart, brain, muscle) or even by specialized heat producing organs like brown adipose tissue . Ectotherms typically have lower metabolic rates than endotherms at

840-434: A short period of time in a relevant industry before students complete their studies. Taking a sandwich course may make the course last a year longer than it would otherwise. With very few exceptions , nearly all universities with the power to award degrees are heavily state financed. However, they also rely on tuition fees set by the government at a maximum index-linked level, repayable after graduation contingent on attaining

900-412: A student passes the course but fails to do so sufficiently well for third class honours to be awarded he will be awarded with an ordinary degree. It is possible to use the abbreviation "Hons" after the degree postnominals to indicate that the degree has been passed with honours and is not an ordinary degree. Many universities offer sandwich courses or an extramural year, which offer work placements for

960-559: A two-year community college before further study at a four-year college or university. In most states, community colleges are operated either by a division of the state university or by local special districts subject to guidance from a state agency. Community colleges award associate degrees of different types, some intended to prepare students to transfer to four-year institutions (e.g. Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS)), and others intended to provide vocational skills and training for students wishing to enter into or advance in

1020-408: A useful extent. To warm up, reptiles and many insects find sunny places and adopt positions that maximise their exposure; at harmfully high temperatures they seek shade or cooler water. In cold weather, honey bees huddle together to retain heat. Butterflies and moths may orient their wings to maximize exposure to solar radiation in order to build up heat before take-off. Gregarious caterpillars, such as

1080-490: A whole host of other behavioral thermoregulation mechanisms. In contrast to ectotherms, endotherms rely largely, even predominantly, on heat from internal metabolic processes, and mesotherms use an intermediate strategy. As there are more than two categories of temperature control utilized by animals, the terms warm-blooded and cold-blooded have been deprecated as scientific terms. Various patterns of behavior enable certain ectotherms to regulate body temperature to

1140-566: A year in school on the grounds of academic giftedness) may enter below this age but large universities are now setting minimum age limits of 16 or 17 after a number of well publicised "child prodigies" were found to be emotionally and mentally unprepared for university life. Applications for undergraduate courses in UK higher education are made through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). For their first degree, most students read for

1200-538: Is a separate undergraduate degree, higher degrees (License, Master, Doctorat) can be gained after completing the undergraduate degree. In the traditional German system, there were no undergraduate degrees in some fields, such as engineering: students continued to Master's level education without any administrative breakpoints, and employers would not consider half-finished master's degrees. The Bachelor's phase in The Netherlands can be fulfilled either at university or at

1260-632: Is also a herpetologist may choose to work on an issue such as the evolution of warning coloration in coral snakes . Modern herpetological writers include Mark O'Shea and Philip Purser. Modern herpetological showmen include Jeff Corwin , Steve Irwin (popularly known as the "Crocodile Hunter"), and Austin Stevens , popularly known as "Austin Snakeman" in the TV series Austin Stevens: Snakemaster . Herpetology

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1320-422: Is an established hobby around the world due to the varied biodiversity in many environments. Many amateur herpetologists coin themselves as "herpers". Most colleges or universities do not offer a major in herpetology at the undergraduate or the graduate level . Instead, persons interested in herpetology select a major in the biological sciences . The knowledge learned about all aspects of the biology of animals

1380-662: Is divided into two stages; associate degree 's level first-half two years and bachelor 's level second-half two years. Bachelor's degrees are awarded only by universities and NIAD-QE . In Pakistan , it generally requires four years to complete a Bachelor's degree in Arts, Sciences, Dentistry, Engineering or Business Administration such as BA , BS , BDS , BE/BS/BSc Engineering or BBA and five years for bachelor's degrees in medicine ( MBBS ), Physiotherapy ( DPT ), Pharmacy ( Pharm.D ) and Architecture ( B.Arch. ) after successfully completing 12 years of schooling. 4 years bachelor's degree

1440-459: Is from Greek : ἑρπετόν, herpetón , "creeping animal" and -λογία , -logia , "knowledge". "Herp" is a vernacular term for non-avian reptiles and amphibians. It is derived from the archaic term "herpetile", with roots back to Linnaeus's classification of animals, in which he grouped reptiles and amphibians in the same class. There are over 6700 species of amphibians and over 9000 species of reptiles. Despite its modern taxonomic irrelevance,

1500-557: Is not usually admitted to the degree of bachelor. Master's degrees conferred after extended programs are not to be conflated with the degree of Master of Arts conferred at Oxbridge and Dublin , which is not a substantive qualification, but reflects the ancient practice of those three universities of promoting Bachelors of Arts to Masters of Arts (and thus full membership of the university) six or seven years after matriculation. Honours degrees and integrated master's degrees are awarded with 1st, upper 2nd, lower 2nd or 3rd class honours . If

1560-453: Is offered in various universities of Pakistan such as COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore (UET Lahore), University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila (UET Taxila), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) and National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (NU). The modern educational system comprises

1620-537: Is similar in length, and is also considered an academic degree. Though it is designed as a specialist degree, in contrast to the Diplom degree at university , which claims to be more generalist. Germany itself, however, is currently abolishing the legal distinction between Fachhochschule and university. They are both translated as university and they both provide bologna-compliant and equivalent postgraduate degrees. Not obligatory and sometimes applied at universities in

1680-462: Is the same as in the rest of UK. In many other, particularly continental European systems, an "undergraduate" degree in the American sense does not exist. Because students are expected to have received a sound general education at the secondary level, in a school such as a gymnasium or lycee , students in Europe enroll in a specific course of studies they wish to pursue upon entry into a university. In

1740-439: Is then applied to an individual study of herpetology. Herpetology research is published in academic journals including Ichthyology & Herpetology , founded in 1913 (under the name Copeia in honour of Edward Drinker Cope ); Herpetologica , founded in 1936; Reptiles and amphibians , founded in 1990; and Contemporary Herpetology, founded in 1997 and stopped publishing in 2009. Ectothermic An ectotherm (from

1800-440: Is typical of regions of the abyssal ocean and hence can be regarded as homeothermic ectotherms. In contrast, in places where temperature varies so widely as to limit the physiological activities of other kinds of ectotherms, many species habitually seek out external sources of heat or shelter from heat; for example, many reptiles regulate their body temperature by basking in the sun, or seeking shade when necessary in addition to

1860-597: The Greek ἐκτός ( ektós ) "outside" and θερμός ( thermós ) "heat"), more commonly referred to as a " cold-blooded animal ", is an animal in which internal physiological sources of heat, such as blood , are of relatively small or of quite negligible importance in controlling body temperature . Such organisms ( frogs , for example) rely on environmental heat sources, which permit them to operate at very economical metabolic rates. Some of these animals live in environments where temperatures are practically constant, as

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1920-632: The University of Delaware also award associate degrees. In the United States, "college" and "university" are terms used differently in different states; New York's terminology is especially confusing (see University of the State of New York ). A university is usually larger than a college, and has programs at the graduate level, but the distinction is not clear-cut. Some colleges (like Smith College ) award graduate degrees, for example, and some colleges are larger than some universities. Some states have requirements

1980-442: The ecology , evolution , physiology , behavior , taxonomy, or molecular biology of amphibians and reptiles. Amphibians or reptiles can be used as model organisms for specific questions in these fields, such as the role of frogs in the ecology of a wetland . All of these areas are related through their evolutionary history, an example being the evolution of viviparity (including behavior and reproduction ). Career options in

2040-642: The forest tent caterpillar and fall webworm , benefit from basking in large groups for thermoregulation. Many flying insects, such as honey bees and bumble bees, also raise their internal temperatures endothermally prior to flight, by vibrating their flight muscles without violent movement of the wings. Such endothermal activity is an example of the difficulty of consistent application of terms such as poikilothermy and homeothermy . In addition to behavioral adaptations, physiological adaptations help ectotherms regulate temperature. Diving reptiles conserve heat by heat exchange mechanisms, whereby cold blood from

2100-790: The English system is followed. Students sit for the Certificate of Education examinations at around sixteen years of age, and the Advanced-level, or A-level examinations at around eighteen, then follow by three years of undergraduate education, except for a few specific fields, such as medicine, nursing and law. This is due to be changed, with five-year secondary education and two-year matriculation examination combined and shortened to six years matriculation , and undergraduate education lengthened to four years. Students may be able to receive general education in their first years in universities, more akin to

2160-507: The MHRD in 2020. Colleges may be Autonomous, i.e. empowered to examine their own degrees, up to PhD level in some cases, or non-autonomous, in which case their examinations are under the supervision of the university to which they are affiliated; in either case, however, degrees are awarded in the name of the university rather than the college. Undergraduate education in Japan requires four years, which

2220-494: The Netherlands are the propaedeutic exams. The entire curriculum of the first two semesters of the bachelor's programme is part of the propaedeutic exams. In most bachelor's studies, students are required to obtain their propaedeutic certificate within three semesters after starting the course. A propaedeutic certificate also counts as a requirement for participating in a university level bachelor's study. The propaedeutic exams have

2280-594: The North American system. The first batch of students under the new system will enter universities in 2012. Alternatives are undergraduate certificates or diplomas, with some equivalent to associate degree in educational level. India 's higher education system is the third largest in the world, next to the United States and China . The main governing body at the tertiary level is the University Grants Commission , which enforces its standards, advises

2340-444: The US, students only specialize in a "major" during the last years of college. Specializing in a field of study upon entry into a university means most students graduate after four to five years of study. The fields available include those only taught as graduate degrees in the US, such as law or medicine. In the traditional system of Germany , there is a vocational degree (diploma FH ) that

2400-464: The bachelor's degree is the Honours degree . Unlike in the British model, degrees in law and medicine are not offered at the undergraduate level and instead are completed at a graduate level, after earning a bachelor's degree. Neither field specifies or prefers any undergraduate major, though medical schools require a set of courses that must be taken before enrollment. Students can also choose to attend

2460-479: The body temperature. Such variation in body temperature is called poikilothermy , though the concept is not widely satisfactory and the use of the term is declining. In small aquatic creatures such as Rotifera , poikilothermy is practically absolute, but other creatures (like crabs ) have wider physiological options at their disposal, and they can move to preferred temperatures, avoid ambient temperature changes, or moderate their effects. Ectotherms can also display

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2520-589: The continental European system; free public schools are available from kindergarten up to postgraduation, both as a right established in Article 6, caput of the Brazilian Constitution and as a duty of the State in Article 208, Items I, IV and V, of the Brazilian Constitution. Students choose their specific course of studies before joining the university. Admission to university is obtained by means of

2580-569: The degree of Bachelor of Arts at other universities and does not require the level of study necessitated for the other degrees of master awarded by these universities. The degree instead reflects the ancient traditions of these universities. In the sciences, students usually read for the degree of bachelor, which usually takes four years. However, as with the rest of the UK, integrated master's degrees are popular in science and engineering, although in Scotland they last for five years. Degree classification

2640-412: The degree of bachelor, which usually takes three years; however, in the sciences and engineering, integrated courses covering both undergraduate level and advanced degree level leading to the degree of master , usually taking four years and including a research project or dissertation , are popular. Given the integrated nature of these programs someone who gains a master's degree via an integrated program

2700-456: The early sunlight before they can begin their daily activities. In cool weather the foraging activity of such species is therefore restricted to the day time in most vertebrate ectotherms, and in cold climates most cannot survive at all. In lizards, for instance, most nocturnal species are geckos specialising in "sit and wait" foraging strategies. Such strategies do not require as much energy as active foraging and do not require hunting activity of

2760-469: The exception of teacher training. The crown restricts the power to award degrees to those with a royal charter , in the case of traditional universities, or authorization from the Secretary of State for Universities , in the case of modern universities . Universities accredited in foreign countries, such as Richmond University are, however, free to operate. In many countries, the English distinction between

2820-753: The exchange of ideas between the fields. Herpetological societies are formed to promote interest in reptiles and amphibians, both captive and wild. Herpetological studies can offer benefits relevant to other fields by providing research on the role of amphibians and reptiles in global ecology . For example, by monitoring amphibians that are very sensitive to environmental changes, herpetologists record visible warnings that significant climate changes are taking place. Although they can be deadly, some toxins and venoms produced by reptiles and amphibians are useful in human medicine . Currently, some snake venom has been used to create anti-coagulants that work to treat strokes and heart attacks . The word herpetology

2880-426: The features of homeothermy, especially within aquatic organisms. Normally their range of ambient environmental temperatures is relatively constant, and there are few in number that attempt to maintain a higher internal temperature due to the high associated costs. Undergraduate education Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education , usually in

2940-559: The field of herpetology include lab research , field studies and surveys, assistance in veterinary and medical procedures, zoological staff, museum staff, and college teaching. In modern academic science, it is rare for an individual to solely consider themselves to be a herpetologist. Most individuals focus on a particular field such as ecology, evolution, taxonomy, physiology, or molecular biology, and within that field ask questions pertaining to or best answered by examining reptiles and amphibians. For example, an evolutionary biologist who

3000-518: The fields of arts, commerce, science etc., and the four-year programs are mostly in the fields of technology, engineering, pharmaceutical sciences, agriculture etc. However, for medicine, law and architecture, the period has been five years. The possessor of the first UG is referred to as graduate and that of the PG degree as post-graduate. Other than UG and PG there are various 1 to 2 year diploma courses available. Indian higher education system has expanded at

3060-453: The first two years of study and the university provides the remaining years of study, sometimes all on one campus. The community colleges award associate degrees, while universities and colleges award the bachelor's. However, some community colleges, such as Brazosport College in Lake Jackson, Texas offer bachelor's degrees along with associate degrees. Conversely, some universities such as

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3120-437: The following five stages: The Primary school lasting five years for children 5–10 years old in grades one to five; a Middle school of three years for children 10 to 13 years old, covering grades six through eight; a two-year secondary, or Matriculation consists of grades nine and ten, for children 13 to 15 years old; a two-year higher secondary, or Intermediate college , leading to an F.A. in arts or F.Sc. in science; and

3180-498: The government, and helps coordinate between the centre and the state. Accreditation for higher learning is overseen by 15 autonomous institutions established by the University Grants Commission (UGC). In India, the graduation system is classified into two parts: Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG). It takes three or four years to complete an undergraduate degree . The three-year undergraduate programs are mostly in

3240-469: The purpose of assessing whether a student has the appropriate capacities in order to complete the course. At some Swedish universities (such as the Royal Institute of Technology ), PhD courses are sometimes referred to as "graduate courses", whereas courses for other students (up to master level) sometimes are referred to as "undergraduate courses". The system at many Finnish universities is similar. In

3300-532: The same intensity. From another point of view, sit-and-wait predation may require very long periods of unproductive waiting. Endotherms cannot, in general, afford such long periods without food, but suitably adapted ectotherms can wait without expending much energy. Endothermic vertebrate species are therefore less dependent on the environmental conditions and have developed a higher variability (both within and between species) in their daily patterns of activity. In ectotherms, fluctuating ambient temperatures may affect

3360-461: The skin picks up heat from blood moving outward from the body core, re-using and thereby conserving some of the heat that otherwise would have been wasted. The skin of bullfrogs secretes more mucus when it is hot, allowing more cooling by evaporation. During periods of cold, some ectotherms enter a state of torpor , in which their metabolism slows or, in some cases, such as the wood frog , effectively stops. The torpor might last overnight or last for

3420-927: The student would earn the corresponding degree . In some other educational systems, undergraduate education is postsecondary education up to and including the level of a master's degree ; this is the case for some science courses in Britain and some medicine courses in Europe. In Nigeria , undergraduate degrees (excluding Medicine, Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Engineering, Law and Architecture) are four-year-based courses. Medicine (MBBS) and Architecture normally take six years to complete studies while Medical Laboratory Science, Nursing, Law and Engineering courses take five years to complete studies, usually, all six years are taken to improve their chances. Undergraduate nursing degrees or diplomas usually take two to four years and sometimes 5 years to complete, whereas graduate degrees are an additional two years or more. In South Africa ,

3480-531: The term has persisted, particularly in the names of herpetology, the scientific study of non-avian reptiles and amphibians, and herpetoculture , the captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians. The field of herpetology can be divided into areas dealing with particular taxonomic groups such as frogs and other amphibians ( batrachology ), snakes (ophiology or ophidiology), lizards (saurology) and turtles (cheloniology, chelonology, or testudinology). More generally, herpetologists work on functional problems in

3540-415: The undergraduate system usually has a three-year undergraduate bachelor's degree, with two or three majors. (There are exceptions, such as the medical qualification (MBChB), which is six years, and Engineering which is four.) A fourth year, known as an Honours year, is considered a post-graduate degree. It is usually course-driven, although may include a project or thesis. Brazil follows the major traits of

3600-471: The year they turn eighteen, with many starting at seventeen; courses take a year longer than in the rest of the UK. At the older universities the degree of Master of Arts is conferred in the arts subjects after four years while the newer universities instead confer the degree of Bachelor of Arts . The degree of Master of Arts conferred by the Ancient Scottish Universities is equivalent to

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