Reptiles
There are 6,800 reptile species
on earth.
The major reptile groups are:
• Alligators and Crocodiles
• Turtles and Tortoises
• Snakes
• Lizards
Reptiles are Vertebrates
They have an internal skeleton with a
backbone.
Reptiles Have
Dry, Scaly Skin
Reptiles have tough, dry, scaly skin made of keratin
(what fingernails are made of) that protects them from
drying out. The large scales of turtles, tortoises, and
crocodilians are called scutes.
Reptiles shed their skin to grow bigger.
Snakes shed their skin all in one piece, turning it inside out as they shed. The skin
is left in one piece and looks like a tube. An adult snake will shed two to five times
a year. A young snake will shed more often as it grows faster.
Corn
Most lizards shed their skin in pieces. Snake
That often begins with
the skin splitting down the lizard’sshedding
back. A its skin growing lizard might shed
rapidly
every two weeks. Legless lizards shed their
skins like a snake.
Green Anole
lizard eating its Leopard Gecko
shed skin shedding its skin
Crocodiles and alligators have large scales (scutes), which are shed
individually .
Scutes on a live Alligator
Alligator
A turtle’s skin is shed like a lizard’s. The Scute Fossilsof most turtles are not
hard shells
shed. Instead new layers are added to the underside of their shells. The age
of the turtle can be determined by the number of rings on its shell’s scutes.
Turtle Scutes
Reptiles are Ectothermic
Most reptiles are ectothermic - they use their environment to warm and cool
their bodies. If they are cold, they must lay in the sun to raise their body
temperature. If they get too hot, they must find shade to cool off. Many
reptiles are active at night, so they can avoid becoming too hot and having
their skin dry out.
Snake
Lizard in egg Turtle
Reptiles Lay Eggs
Reptiles produce tough, leathery shelled eggs that keep moisture and
warmth in and predators out. Most reptiles lay their eggs in a place
where they will be kept warm and humid. Some reptiles keep their
eggs inside their bodies and then give birth to live young. Most reptiles
lay their eggs and then leave them.
Reptile Babies Look Like Little Adults
Reptiles possess most of their adult characteristics at the time of hatching. Unlike
most amphibians, they do not undergo a larval stage or experience metamorphosis.
Is it an Alligator or a Crocodile?
American Alligator American Crocodile
•8 to 13 feet long •13 to 16 feet long
•800 to 1,000 pounds (males) •800 to 1,100 pounds (males)
•70 to 80 teeth •60 to 66 teeth
•Broad, U-shaped snouts •Long, slender V-shaped snouts
•Bottom teeth are not visible when •Lower teeth are visible when the
the mouth is closed mouth is closed
•Brown, gray, or nearly black •Dull grayish-green or olive-green color
•Life span: 30 to 35 years •Life span: 60 to 70 years
•Live mostly in fresh water swamps •Live in brackish and saltwater wetlands
•Mothers assist babies in hatching. •Mothers assist babies in hatching. Young are
Young stay with mother for a few ready to be on their own right away.
months.
Lizards
There are over 4,675 lizards species in
six families:
Geckos Iguanas
Monitors Chameleons
Gila Monsters Skinks
Lizards
Lizards have different types of diets. Some eat only plants
(herbivores), some eat only insects or small mammals (carnivore), and
some eat both plants and animals (omnivores).
Some lizards (such as whiptails) lose their tails when they feel
threatened. The lost tail distracts the predator so the lizard can get
away. The tail grows back later.
Some lizards (Gila monsters) store food
in their fat tails.
Some lizards (geckoes) have special feet which allow them to hold on
to walls, ceilings, etc.
Snakes
• There are about 2,600 species of snakes.
• Most snakes are not venomous.
Northern Water Snake
• All snakes can bite, swim, climb,
• and drink water.
• Snakes only strike people in self-defense.
• Most baby snakes are able to care for
themselves from the time they are born.
• All snakes are carnivores (meat eaters).
• Their hundreds of tiny vertebrae and ribs
allow them to be very flexible.
Tortoises
•are turtles that live on hot dry land, and
Turtles go to water only to drink or bathe.
•spend most of their lives in water. •mostly have high domed shells.
•have low domed shells. •have elephant shaped legs.
•have webbing between their •have round stumpy feet for walking and
toes for swimming. digging burrows.
•can be carnivores (meat), •eat low growing shrubs, grasses,
herbivores (plants), or omnivores and cacti.
(both.) •do not have teeth, but they do have a sharp
•do not have teeth, but they have as beak.
sharp beak.
