REPTILES“to creep”

In the class REPTILIA…LIZARDS, SNAKES, TURTLES, CROCODILIANS, and BIRDS

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?

• Have been around for over 300 million yearsHave been around for over 300 million years

• After the decline of amphibians, reptiles After the decline of amphibians, reptiles dominateddominated the world for the world for about 200 million years in the time of the Dinosaurs (the most about 200 million years in the time of the Dinosaurs (the most

diverse group of reptiles that are now extinct)diverse group of reptiles that are now extinct)– Differences between some Dinosaurs and modern reptiles:Differences between some Dinosaurs and modern reptiles:

• Dinosaurs may have been endothermicDinosaurs may have been endothermic• Dinosaurs may have exhibited parental careDinosaurs may have exhibited parental care

• Dinosaurs were much bigger (and some were significantly slower moving)Dinosaurs were much bigger (and some were significantly slower moving)

• Now, there are about 6,500 reptile species around the world and Now, there are about 6,500 reptile species around the world and on every continent except Antarcticaon every continent except Antarctica

WHAT MAKES REPTILES REPTILES?

• VERTEBRATES (have spines)• AIR-BREATHING• COLD-BLOODED or ECTOTHERMIC (absorb external heat/ do not generate

their own heat through metabolism)• AMNIOTES (lay an amniotic egg* which is a shell carrying an embryo in a fluid-

filled sac)• LIVE ON LAND• COVERED IN SCALES

* This characteristic of reptiles helped their ancestors make the transition from water to land because the “self-contained pond” of the egg which can be lane on land allows the reptile to carry out its life cycle completely on dry land.

SOME ADAPTATIONS…

Regulate their body temperature by seeking or avoiding the sun’s heat (ectothermic)

Skin is covered in waterproof scales containing the protein keratin which lets no water escape which keeps their bodies from drying out

(Eggs are also encased by a waterproof shell)

Color and scale pattern helps

camouflage or alert predators to a

reptile’s poisonous nature (mostly

snakes)

SNAKES- Limbless (ancestors

adapted to a burrowing lifestyle)

- Venom helps protect them or immobilize and kill pray

CROCODILIANS (crocodiles and alligators)- Can live in the water and breath with upturned

nostrils

TURTLES (have changed little overtime)- Hard-backed, protective shells

SOME SPECIFICS…

Most massive reptile:

The estuarine crocodile (over 7 m

(23 ft) long)

the British Virgin Islands gecko (only 18 mm = 7/10 inches long)

Smallest Reptile:

the spiny-tailed iguana (tracked at 34.9 km/h = 21 mph)

Fastest Reptile:

the anaconda of South America

Biggest snake:

the leatherback turtle (up to 2.5 m)

Biggest Turtle:

the Komodo dragon (up to 3 m long)

Biggest Lizard:

reticulated Python (over 10 m long)

Longest snake:

the poisonous black mamba

Fastest-moving snake:

the taipan (from Australia), black mamba, and krait

Most poisonous land snakes:

the Gila monster, the beaded lizard

Only poisonous Lizard:

horned lizards can squirt a thin spray of blood from

their eyes up to of 3 feet (0.9 meter)

away

Weirdest ability:

HERPETOLOGY = the study of reptiles

Works Cited

• http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/reptiles/printouts.shtml• http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles.html• http://science.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Science/Images/Content/triassi

c-dinosaurs-22937967-jupiter-lw.jpg• http://www.topnews.in/files/dinosaur.jpg• http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg09_NCWildStore/photo_competition/2007/Reptiles-&-Amphibians-1st-place

.jpg• http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lynhardyphoto.com/reptiles_iguanalounging.jpg&imgref

url=http://lynhardyphoto.com/page_reptiles.html&usg• http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2163/2239435768_238cc1ff6b.jpg?v=0• http://www.wildherps.com/images/herps/standard/023034_side-blotched_lizard.jpg• http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/119091scales1.jpg• http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/iguana_scales.jpg• http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/1002/50215713.JPG• http://i1.treknature.com/photos/10387/viper-web--frm-thin-grn-blk.jpg• http://www.wildlife.pro/snake/images/venomous_snake.jpg• http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3056/2795915953_515983d8b7.jpg?v=0• http://sofia.usgs.gov/virtual_tour/images/photos/enp/alligatorAnhingTrail-BMx.jpg• http://www.everglades.com/welcom9.jpg

Works Cited cont.

• http://z.about.com/d/gonyc/1/0/8/R/turtles.jpg• http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/08/images/060831-turtles-israel_big.jpg• http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/567Centrata_Carapace.jpg• http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2008/06/04/4213gecko1.jpg• http://wwwdelivery.superstock.com/WI/223/1612/PreviewComp/SuperStock_1612R-17420.jpg• http://www.ngsprints.co.uk/images/M/957121.jpg• http://s3.amazonaws.com/readers/2008/11/04/436003_3.jpg• http://www.oregonreptileman.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/anaconda.jpg• http://spoutingoff.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/leatherback-underwater.jpg• http://www.coral.org/files/images/LeatherbackTurtles.jpg• http://static.guim.co.uk/Environment/gallery/2007/apr/12/

climatechangeenvironment.conservationandendangeredspecies/komodocrop-7899.jpg• http://www.mccarthyboas.com/images/Jim_Gaspar_Jampa08.jpg• http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/australiazoo/gallery/auszoo40_main.jpg• http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/288455441_173cbd0be2.jpg?v=0• http://a.abcnews.com/images/Travel/cb_Black_Mamba_Snake_080325_mn.jpg• http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/desert-survival-7.jpg

• http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/learning/texas_nature_trackers/horned_lizard/images/03b_lrg_horned_lizard_full.jpg