What Are Reptiles?

Reptiles have existed for 300 million years. They breathe air through lungs, although some can absorb it through their skin, which is always covered in scales. They live on land and in the water and lay eggs for birthing young. Reptiles are cold-blooded, which means they can't regulate their own body temperature. Depending on the temperature of their environment at any given time, they will either sun bathe or hide in a burrow. Reptiles include snakes, lizards, crocodiles and alligators as well as turtles.

  1. Snakes

    • Snakes are limbless. They movie by slithering along the ground to pull themselves forward and back. All snakes are carnivorous and usually eat small birds, eggs and insects but sometimes larger prey and even other reptiles. Some, like the rattle snake and cobra, have venomous fangs. Others, like the Boa, constrict their prey to strangle them to death. Snakes have very flexible jaws since they do not chew their food.

    Lizards

    • Lizards are four-legged, tailed reptiles. Many can detach the tail from their body if attacked to get away. The size of lizards ranges from just a couple inches to a few meters, like the predatory Komodo Dragon. Most lizards are either good climbers or good sprinters. They tend to be more active at night and spend days lounging in the sun to recharge their energy. Lizards have very acute color eyesight.

    Turtles and Tortoises

    • Turtles have been around for 200 million years. This makes them, as a species, older than most other reptiles. Many individual turtles and tortoises have lived over a hundred years. Most do not tolerate cold well and thus live everywhere in the world except Antarctica. The distinctive shell is made of 60 different bones fused together. They live on land and water and range in size from only a few inches to, for example, the 1,500 pound Leathery Turtle.

    Alligators and Crocodiles

    • Alligators and Crocodiles are related but have some key differences. Both are comparably large but alligators have wide, rounded snouts while crocodiles have pointier ones. One lower jaw tooth sticks up over the upper lip when the mouth is closed on a crocodile. Alligators tend to prefer freshwater while crocodiles like saltwater. Both have great hearing, eyesight and sense of smell. They can even taste their food, which is usually any animal they can catch along the water banks. They are very good parents, one of the only reptiles that looks after their young until maturity.