Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Sea snakes are mostly confined to the warm tropical waters of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean, [6] with a few species found well out into Oceania. [25] The geographic range of one species, Pelamis platurus, is wider than that of any other reptile species, except for a few species of sea turtles. [5]
Marine reptiles are reptiles which have become secondarily adapted for an aquatic or semiaquatic life in a marine environment. Only about 100 of the 12,000 extant reptile species and subspecies are classed as marine reptiles, including marine iguanas , sea snakes , sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles .
The mass of this world ocean is 1.35 × 10 18 metric tons or about 1/4400 of Earth's total mass. The world ocean covers an area of 3.618 × 10 8 km 2 with a mean depth of 3682 m, resulting in an estimated volume of 1.332 × 10 9 km 3. [17]
Currently, of the approximately 12,000 extant reptile species and sub-species, only about 100 of are classed as marine reptiles. [30] Except for some sea snakes, most extant marine reptiles are oviparous and need to return to land to lay their eggs. Apart from sea turtles, the species usually spend most of their lives on or near land rather ...
Snake scales are not discrete, but extensions of the epidermis—hence they are not shed separately but as a complete outer layer during each molt, akin to a sock being turned inside out. [61] Snakes have a wide diversity of skin coloration patterns which are often related to behavior, such as the tendency to have to flee from predators.
Restoration of Mosasaurus hoffmannii, an extinct marine lizard.. Squamata is the largest order of reptiles, comprising lizards, snakes, and amphisbaenians (worm lizards). There are many examples of aquatic squamates, both living and extinct; a secondarily aquatic lifestyle has evolved multiple times.
Few prey can survive a surprise attack from the world’s largest reptile: It waits patiently under the water’s surface until it spots its next target, after which it comes out of hiding while ...
Alpine Tibet hosts a limited diversity of animal species, among which snakes are common. There are only two endemic reptiles and ten endemic amphibians in the Tibetan highlands. [74] Gloydius himalayanus is perhaps the geographically highest living snake in the world, living at as high as 4,900 m (16,100 ft) in the Himalayas. [80]