Reptiles That Never Became Extinct

Reptiles are some of the world's longest living creatures. Despite the total extinction of thousands of species of life throughout history, reptiles have consistently escaped death. Today, they live on in four main orders: Crocodilia, which is composed of crocodiles, gavials, caimans and alligators; Sphenodontia, which is solely inhabited by tuataras; Squamata, which link lizards and snakes; and Testudines, which turtles and tortoises fall under. Certain bird species in the order of Aves also carry reptilian characteristics.

  1. Crocodiles

    • The family of Crocodylidae are one breed of reptile that has managed to slip the grasp of extinction. Fossils of crocodylomorpha dinosaurs have shown a near-identical bone structure to crocodiles today -- the prehistoric version differed by having taller hind legs.

    Snakes

    • These elongated, legless reptiles are believed to have evolved from burrowing lizards. There is fossil evidence to suggest that this evolutionary change took place during the Cretaceous Era, which occurred almost 146 million years ago.

    Turtles

    • The order of Testudines have been in existence for 215 million years, making them the most ancient reptile alive today. The oldest recorded turtle was the Archelon. These 13-foot-long carnivorous turtles lived during Jurassic times; however, they are not considered to be dinosaurs.

    Birds

    • Technically, most birds are considered to be reptiles. It is not a commonly known fact, but with the lone exception of feathers, their physiological makeup is almost identical to that of the average member of the Reptilla family. They both have scales, they both lay eggs, and they have matching soft anatomies. Birds are the closest living relatives of Maniraptoran dinosaurs.