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A reptile is any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering part or all of their body. The major groups of living reptiles are turtles, tuatara, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.
lizard, (suborder Sauria), any of more than 5,500 species of reptiles belonging in the order Squamata (which also includes snakes, suborder Serpentes). Lizards are scaly-skinned reptiles that are usually distinguished from snakes by the possession of legs, movable eyelids, and external ear openings.
Reptiles are vertebrates, or animals with a backbone. Except for snakes, most reptiles have four limbs. Reptiles vary greatly in size. Some snakes and lizards are less than 2 inches (5 centimeters) long. The largest crocodiles, pythons, and anacondas can grow to more than 30 feet (9 meters) long.
reptile, Any of the approximately 8,700 species of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates that have internal fertilization and a scaly body and are cold-blooded. Most species have short legs (or none) and long tails, and most lay eggs.
Turtles, tuatara, lizards and snakes, and crocodiles make up the major groups of living reptiles today, and they collectively account for over 8,700 species. Plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs, and dinosaurs are part of the diverse group of now-extinct reptiles that were once found on Earth but that we are now unlikely to encounter.
Most reptiles are carnivorous—that is, they may catch live prey or scavenge on dead animals. A few lizards and turtles are herbivorous as adults. Some predatory reptiles stalk their prey, whereas others wait in ambush.
Cold-bloodedness, the state of having a variable body temperature that is usually only slightly higher than the environmental temperature. This state distinguishes fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrate animals from warm-blooded, or homoiothermic, animals (birds and mammals). Because of
Dinosaur, the common name given to a group of reptiles, often very large, that first appeared roughly 245 million years ago and thrived worldwide for nearly 180 million years. Most died out by the end of the Cretaceous Period.
Mammals evolved from a group of reptiles called therapsids, which lived from 299 million to 200 million years ago. Therapsids were quadrupedal and had such mammalian features as specialized tooth structures and an opening in the temporal region of the skull. They were most likely warm-blooded.
turtle, (order Testudines), any reptile with a body encased in a bony shell, including tortoises. Although numerous animals, from invertebrates to mammals, have evolved shells, none has an architecture like that of turtles.