Reptiles

Content

• Characteristics of reptiles
• Examples of reptiles
• Examples of extinct reptiles

The reptiles They are cold-blooded vertebrate animals that crawl or drag their bodies along the ground. For example: the snake, the alligator, the lizard, the turtle.

They are mostly carnivorous animals that are characterized by their resistant skin covered with scales that has different shapes, colors and sizes. Most reptiles live on land and have also adapted to life in water. They are ectothermic organisms, since they are not capable of generating their own internal heat.

Reptiles have very short legs in proportion to their body, although there are reptiles like the snake, which lack legs so they drag their body to move.

• It can serve you: Animals that crawl

Characteristics of reptiles

• They are cold-blooded animals, which distinguishes them from mammals.
• They are ectothermic. They are exposed to the sun when they need to raise their temperature; and they take refuge in burrows, in the water or in the shade when they need to cool down.
• They are very primitive animals, it is believed that they arose during the Mesozoic era.
• They have a respiratory system with lungs.
• They reproduce sexually through internal fertilization.
• They are oviparous animals, they reproduce by laying eggs.
• They communicate through sounds by the vibrations they receive from the ground.
• They are solitary animals, they do not usually move in groups.
• Most are predators, as they hunt for their own food.
• Most are carnivores, like boas and crocodiles, but there are some herbivorous species like the turtle.
• Most species of reptiles have become extinct, including dinosaurs.
• There are several species in danger of extinction such as the desperate leaf chameleon, the Colombian dwarf lizard and the spider tortoise.

Examples of reptiles

Examples of extinct reptiles

Follow with:

• Mammals
• Amphibians
• Birds