It's Willard and I am going to talk about the characteristics of reptiles. I am also going to talk about the differences and similarities between amphibians and reptiles. I will try not to make this post long but I can't help myself.
Did you know that the word reptile is a Latin word and it means to creep? I also think that creepy would have been a better definition because I am not a big fan of reptiles. Let me give you a little history about reptiles. Reptiles have been around for millions of years. That's a very long time. During the Dinosaur Age, reptiles ruled the earth and included the largest animals the world has ever seen. Reptiles were the first animals with backbones to become fully equipped for life on dry land. There are about 7000 species of reptiles on earth. They are found in most parts of the world except were it gets very cold. Don't expect to see any reptiles in the North Pole.
Reptiles belong to four different groups. They are lizards, snakes, turtles or tortoises and crocodilians. Let's take a look at these groups.
LIZARDS
These animals make up over half of the world reptile population. They usually have long legs and tails. Most live on the ground and feed on insects. There are about 3,500 species of lizards. I thought that the Frilled Lizard was very interesting. This lizard is from down under, I mean Australia. When this lizard is cornered it unfolds it frill around its neck and opens it mouth and hisses. This is enough to make its enemies back up.
Meet the Frilled Lizard.
SNAKES
These are legless reptiles that hunt other animals and swallow their prey whole. Their tongues give them a great sense of smell. Some snakes kill their prey by squeezing to death or by injecting poison or venom. There are about 2,300 species of snakes. I thought that the Emerald Tree Boa was very interesting. It is a very colorful snake which spends its life in the trees of the rain forest waiting for birds and other animals to come by for dinner. I mean to eat.
Meet the Emerald Tree Boa.
TURTLES & TORTOISES
These are the only reptiles with hard shells made of solid bone. The difference between turtles and tortoises have to do with where they live. Turtles live in water and tortoises live on land. There are about 230 species of turtles and tortoises. I thought that the Galapagos Giant Tortoise was very interesting. This tortoise is gigantic and could weigh up to 800 pounds. I wonder how it can even move. They are found in the Aldabra islands which is north of Madagascar. They can live for more than 100 years.
Meet the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.
CROCODILIANS
They have armored scales and long jaws with sharp teeth. They live in or near water. There are about 23 species of of crocodiles and alligators. I thought that the Dwarf Crocodile was very interesting. This is the smallest and least known crocodile. It lives in the rain forest in rivers and swamps. They can be found in west and central Africa.
Meet the Dwarf Crocodile.
What does amphibians and reptiles have in common?
This is a really good question. Unlike amphibians, reptiles have a tough skin covered with scales and their eggs have waterproof shells. These two features allow reptiles to live away from water in some of the driest places on earth like deserts. Amphibians have thin transparent skin. That is why most amphibians don't drink water because water passes through their skin. Both reptiles and amphibians shed their skin. Amphibians lay their eggs in or near the water and it is protected by a jelly like substance. Unlike amphibians, reptiles lay their eggs in a warm and humid place.
These are frog eggs. Look at the jelly like substance.
These are snake eggs. They are leathery and waterproof.
Both amphibians and reptiles are vertebrates. Amphibians spend part of their lives under water breathing with gills and the remainder on land breathing with lungs. Reptiles spend their lives on land breathing with lungs. Amphibians and reptiles are cold-blooded which means their body temperature depends on the temperature of their environment. Although they are cold blooded they can warm themselves by laying out in the sun. Check out these turtles sunbathing. Hey turtles, don't get sunburn!
Reptiles belong to four different groups. They are lizards, snakes, turtles or tortoises and crocodilians. Let's take a look at these groups.
LIZARDS
These animals make up over half of the world reptile population. They usually have long legs and tails. Most live on the ground and feed on insects. There are about 3,500 species of lizards. I thought that the Frilled Lizard was very interesting. This lizard is from down under, I mean Australia. When this lizard is cornered it unfolds it frill around its neck and opens it mouth and hisses. This is enough to make its enemies back up.
Meet the Frilled Lizard.
SNAKES
These are legless reptiles that hunt other animals and swallow their prey whole. Their tongues give them a great sense of smell. Some snakes kill their prey by squeezing to death or by injecting poison or venom. There are about 2,300 species of snakes. I thought that the Emerald Tree Boa was very interesting. It is a very colorful snake which spends its life in the trees of the rain forest waiting for birds and other animals to come by for dinner. I mean to eat.
Meet the Emerald Tree Boa.
TURTLES & TORTOISES
These are the only reptiles with hard shells made of solid bone. The difference between turtles and tortoises have to do with where they live. Turtles live in water and tortoises live on land. There are about 230 species of turtles and tortoises. I thought that the Galapagos Giant Tortoise was very interesting. This tortoise is gigantic and could weigh up to 800 pounds. I wonder how it can even move. They are found in the Aldabra islands which is north of Madagascar. They can live for more than 100 years.
Meet the Galapagos Giant Tortoise.
CROCODILIANS
They have armored scales and long jaws with sharp teeth. They live in or near water. There are about 23 species of of crocodiles and alligators. I thought that the Dwarf Crocodile was very interesting. This is the smallest and least known crocodile. It lives in the rain forest in rivers and swamps. They can be found in west and central Africa.
Meet the Dwarf Crocodile.
What does amphibians and reptiles have in common?
This is a really good question. Unlike amphibians, reptiles have a tough skin covered with scales and their eggs have waterproof shells. These two features allow reptiles to live away from water in some of the driest places on earth like deserts. Amphibians have thin transparent skin. That is why most amphibians don't drink water because water passes through their skin. Both reptiles and amphibians shed their skin. Amphibians lay their eggs in or near the water and it is protected by a jelly like substance. Unlike amphibians, reptiles lay their eggs in a warm and humid place.
These are frog eggs. Look at the jelly like substance.
These are snake eggs. They are leathery and waterproof.
Both amphibians and reptiles are vertebrates. Amphibians spend part of their lives under water breathing with gills and the remainder on land breathing with lungs. Reptiles spend their lives on land breathing with lungs. Amphibians and reptiles are cold-blooded which means their body temperature depends on the temperature of their environment. Although they are cold blooded they can warm themselves by laying out in the sun. Check out these turtles sunbathing. Hey turtles, don't get sunburn!
Check out these fun facts about reptiles. I am happy that none of these reptiles can be found in the United states except in zoos and labs.
This is a estuarine crocodile . It is the biggest reptile in the world. It is humongous!!!!!
This is a British Virgin Islands gecko. It is the smallest reptile in the world. It is tine tiny!!!!!
Thanks for checking out my post, I hope you enjoyed it. Come back to visit and try to stay away from venomous reptiles.
· The biggest reptile in the world - the estuarine crocodile is over 7 meters or 23 feet long.
· Smallest reptile in the world and the smallest lizard - the British Virgin Islands gecko which is only 18 millimeters or 7/10 inches long. You might need a magnifying glass to see this one. It is extremely small.
· The Fastest reptile in the world - the spiny-tailed iguana has been tracked at 34.9 kilometers per hour or 21 miles per hour.
· Biggest or heaviest snake in the world - the anaconda of South America.
· Longest Snake in the world - reticulated Python which is over 10 meters long.
· Fastest-moving snake in the world - the poisonous black mamba.
· Biggest lizard in the world - the Komodo Dragon can grow to 3 meters long.
· Biggest turtle in the world - the leatherback turtle can grow up 2.5 meters long.
· Most poisonous land snakes in the world - the taipan from Australia, black mamba, and krait.
· Only poisonous lizards in the world - the Gila monster, the beaded lizard.
· Weirdest ability in the world - horned lizards can squirt a thin spray of blood from their eyes up to of 3 feet or 0.9 meter away.
This is a estuarine crocodile . It is the biggest reptile in the world. It is humongous!!!!!
This is a British Virgin Islands gecko. It is the smallest reptile in the world. It is tine tiny!!!!!
Thanks for checking out my post, I hope you enjoyed it. Come back to visit and try to stay away from venomous reptiles.
