All About Reptiles

Reptile is a classification of animals. There are millions of species that exist and it becomes difficult to deal with them individually. This is the reason why animals are classified in certain types based on their similarities. Reptile is a classification just like birds, insects, mammals, and amphibians. The number one trait or characteristic of a reptile is that it is cold-blooded. All the reptiles are cold-blooded which means that they cannot maintain a constant body temperature automatically. Cold-blooded animals cannot maintain warm blood on their own. They have to spend time in the sun and heat their bodies. They also do not tend to burn a lot of energy which means that they don't require a great deal of food that other animals such as mammals would require that is equal in size to the reptile. Another trait of the reptile is that they lay eggs to produce offspring’s. Their skin is also hard and covered with dry scales.

Reptiles are found almost everywhere. They exist on every continent except for Antarctica. The climatic conditions of Antarctica are not ideal for the reptiles to survive. There are also many different types of reptiles. The main categories of reptiles are turtles, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles.

Turtles are the reptiles that have shells on their bodies to protect them from possible danger. Turtles are known to survive for more than a hundred years.

Snakes are the reptiles with no legs. They move around the ground by flexing their body. They can move fast even though they don't have any legs. Some snakes are also poisonous. Some snakes are also known to squeeze their prey until it is dead. They swallow the prey as a whole. An interesting fact about snakes is that they can go weeks and months without eating if their last meal was heavy.

Lizards are just like snakes. They have four legs.

Alligators and crocodiles can live in water and on land. They appear slow but move very fast when attacking.