Reptiles | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts
What is a Reptile?
Reptiles are cold-blooded animals. Most reptiles lay eggs and their skin is covered with dry, hard scales.
Highlights of Reptiles:
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Subphylum | Vertebrata |
| Class | Sauropsida |
What does cold-blooded mean?
Cold-blooded animals do not automatically maintain a constant body temperature. They have to lie in the sun to stay warm. It also means that reptiles don’t burn as much energy to stay warm, and so they don’t have to eat nearly as much food as a similar-sized mammal or other warm-blooded animal.
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Types of Reptiles
There are many types of reptiles. The main types are snakes, alligators and alligators, and turtles and lizards. Reptiles can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Alligators and Crocodiles seem slow, but can move very quickly when attacking.
Snakes are legless reptiles. They move on the ground by flexing their bodies and can move very quickly even without legs. Only a small percentage of snakes are poisonous. Many snakes are spasmodic, meaning they use their bodies to squeeze their prey until the animal is dead or immobile. Then they swallow the whole thing. If the meal is large enough, snakes can go weeks or even months without eating again.
Lizards look like snakes, but have legs.
Turtles are reptiles with large shells to protect them. Some turtles can live more than 100 years.
Biggest, Fastest, Smallest Reptiles
The largest reptile is the saltwater crocodile. These reptiles can reach 2,000 pounds and be 12 1/2 feet long.
The green anaconda is the heaviest snake, while the reticulated python is the longest.
The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon.
The largest species of tortoise is the leatherback tortoise, which can weigh 1,800 pounds with an 8-foot-long shell.
The smallest reptile is thought to be the Madagascar mini chameleon, just over 1 inch long.
The smallest snake is a snake that is only about 4 inches in length.
The fastest reptile is the spiny-tailed iguana that can run up to 20 miles per hour. The fastest snake is the Black Mamba.
What’s the difference between Reptiles and Amphibians?
There are a few major differences that separate reptiles and amphibians. Amphibians go through a larval stage, like a tadpole turning into a frog. Reptiles don’t do that. In addition, their skin differs in that reptiles have scales on their skin, but amphibians have moist, glandular skin.
Some types of amphibians consist of frogs, salamanders, and toads.
Interesting Facts About Reptiles
Crocodiles are known to swallow rocks so they can dive deeper into the water.
A frog (which is an amphibian) breathes not only through its lungs, but also through its skin.
Some snakes have more than 300 pairs of ribs.
The turtle shell is made up of a bunch of bones (about 60) all connected together.
Turtles don’t have ears to hear, but they are said to have excellent eyesight and an excellent sense of smell. They can also feel the vibrations of loud sounds.
Lizards and snakes smell with their tongues.