Reptiles!
In this article we will learn about reptiles and their various kinds.
Reptile:
It is a cold-blooded vertebrate of a class that includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. They are distinguished by having a dry scaly skin, and typically laying soft-shelled eggs on land.
• Class Reptilia: orders Chelonia (turtles and tortoises), Squamata (snakes and lizards), Rhynchocephalia (the tuatara), and Crocodylia (crocodilians). Among several extinct groups are the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and ichthyosaurs.
Types Of Reptiles:
The various types of reptiles are as follows:
alligator a large semiaquatic reptile similar to a crocodile but with a broader and shorter head, native to the Americas and China.
American alligator
• Genus Alligator, family Alligatoridae, order Crocodylia: the American alligator
alligator snapping turtle a large-headed, long-tailed snapping turtle of the southeastern U.S., found esp. in the Gulf States. Weighing up to 150 pounds (67.5 kg), it is the largest freshwater turtle in North America.
basilisk a long, slender, and mainly bright green lizard found in Central America, the male of which has a crest running from the head to the tail. It can swim well and is able to run on its hind legs across the surface of water.
blindworm another term for slow-worm .
box turtle a land-living turtle that has a lower shell with hinged lobes that can be drawn up tightly to enclose the animal. It is native to North America and Mexico and is sometimes kept as a pet.
eastern box turtle
• Genus Terrapene, family Emydidae: several species, including the eastern box turtle
caiman a semiaquatic reptile similar to the alligator but with a heavily armored belly, native to tropical America. • Caiman and other genera, family Alligatoridae: three species, in particular the spectacled caiman
chameleon a small slow-moving Old World lizard with a prehensile tail, long extensible tongue, protruding eyes that rotate independently, and a highly developed ability to change color.
common chameleon
• Family Chamaeleonidae: four genera, in particular Chamaeleo, and numerous species, including the European chameleon
chuckwalla a large dark-bodied lizard, the male of which has a light yellow tail, native to the deserts of the southwestern U.S. and Mexico. When threatened, it inflates itself with air to wedge itself into a crevice. • Sauromalus obesus, family Iguanidae.
crocodile a large predatory semiaquatic reptile with long jaws, long tail, short legs, and a horny textured skin, using submersion and stealth to approach prey unseen. The crocodile has been extensively hunted for its valuable skin. • Family Crocodylidae: three genera, in particular Crocodylus, and several species.
diamondback (also diamondback rattlesnake) a large, common North American rattlesnake with diamond-shaped markings. Also called diamond rattlesnake . • Genus Crotalus, family Viperidae: two species.
flying dragon an arboreal Southeast Asian lizard that has expanding membranes along the sides of the body, used for gliding between trees. Also called dragon . • Genus Draco, family Agamidae: several species.
galliwasp a marsh lizard found in Central America and the Caribbean. • Genus Diploglossus, family Anguidae: many species, in particular D. monotropis of the West Indies.
gecko a nocturnal and often highly vocal lizard that has adhesive pads on the feet to assist in climbing on smooth surfaces. It is widespread in warm regions. • Gekkonidae and related families: numerous genera and species.
gharial a large fish-eating crocodile with a long narrow snout that widens at the nostrils, native to the Indian subcontinent. See also false gharial . • Gavialis gangeticus, the only member of the family Gavialidae.
Gila monster a venomous lizard native to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico.
Gila monster
• Heloderma suspectum, family Helodermatidae.
glass lizard a legless burrowing lizard of snakelike appearance, with smooth shiny skin and an easily detached tail, native to Eurasia, Africa, and America. Also called glass snake . • Genus Ophisaurus, family Anguidae: several species.
goanna alteration of iguana .
green turtle a sea turtle with an olive-brown shell, often living close to the coast and extensively hunted for food.
green turtle
• Chelonia mydas, family Cheloniidae.
hawksbill a small tropical sea turtle with hooked jaws and overlapping horny plates on the shell, extensively hunted as the traditional source of tortoiseshell.
hawksbill
• Eretmochelys imbricata, family Cheloniidae.
horned toad a large toad with horn-shaped projections of skin over the eyes, in particular • a Southeast Asian toad ( Megophrys and other genera, family Peltobatidae). • a South American toad ( Ceratophrys and other genera, family Leptodactylidae).
iguana a large, arboreal, tropical American lizard with a spiny crest along the back and greenish coloration, occasionally kept as a pet. • Genus Iguana, family Iguanidae: two species, in particular the common green iguana
Komodo dragon a heavily built monitor lizard that captures large prey such as pigs by ambush. Occurring only on Komodo and neighboring Indonesian islands, it is the largest living lizard. • Varanus komodoensis, family Varanidae.
leatherback a very large black turtle with a thick leathery shell, living chiefly in tropical seas.
leatherback
• Dermochelys coriacea, the only member of the family Dermochelyidae.
lizard a reptile that typically has a long body and tail, four legs, movable eyelids, and a rough, scaly, or spiny skin. • Suborder Lacertilia (or Sauria), order Squamata: many families.
loggerhead (also loggerhead turtle) a reddish-brown turtle with a very large head, occurring chiefly in warm seas.
loggerhead turtle
• Caretta caretta, family Cheloniidae.
painted turtle a small American freshwater turtle with a smooth shell and colorful patterns of red, yellow, and black that appear along the border of the carapace and (in certain subspecies) on the plastron.
• Chrysemys picta, family Emydidae.
skink a smooth-bodied lizard with short or absent limbs, typically burrowing in sandy ground, and occurring throughout tropical and temperate regions.
• Family Scincidae: numerous genera and species.
slow-worm a small snakelike Eurasian legless lizard that is typically brownish or copper-colored and that gives birth to live young. Also called blindworm .
• Anguis fragilis, family Anguidae.
snapping turtle a large American freshwater turtle with a long neck and strong hooked jaws.
common snapping turtle
• Family Chelydridae: two North American species, the common snapping turtle ( Chelydra serpentina) and the larger alligator snapping turtle ( Macroclemys temminckii).
terrapin (also diamondback terrapin) a small edible turtle with lozenge-shaped markings on its shell, found in coastal marshes of the eastern U.S.
diamondback terrapin
• Malaclemys terrapin, family Emydidae.
tortoise a turtle, typically a herbivorous one that lives on land.
tuatara a nocturnal burrowing lizardlike reptile with a crest of soft spines along its back, now confined to some small islands off New Zealand.
• Order Rhynchocephalia and genus Sphenodon: two species, in particular S. punctatum. All other members of the order became extinct during the Mesozoic era.
turtle a slow-moving reptile, enclosed in a scaly or leathery domed shell into which it can retract its head and thick legs. • Family Testudinidae: numerous genera and species, including the European tortoise
Thank you,
R.Rajkumar
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