๐ฆ Animal world ๐ Reptiles and amphibians
Reptiles
๐ In short
Reptiles are animals with dry, scaly skin that breathe with lungs. Snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles are all reptiles. There are about 6000 kinds, and most live in warm places.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- The first reptiles appeared about 300 million years ago.
- There are about 3000 kinds of lizards, and about as many snakes.
- Some tortoises have lived more than 100 years.
- Dinosaurs were reptiles.
๐ Find out more
๐ Scales that protect the body
A reptile's body is covered in scales or hard plates that protect it and stop it drying out, so reptiles can live in hot, dry deserts.
๐ Cold-blooded
Reptiles are cold-blooded, so they don't make their own body heat. They lie in the sun to warm up and hide in the shade to cool down.
๐ก Eggs with shells
Most reptiles lay their eggs on land, with a leathery or hard shell that stops them drying out. The babies hatch looking like their parents.
๐ฏ Four groups
Reptiles are divided into lizards and snakes, turtles, crocodiles, and a rare, ancient animal from New Zealand called the tuatara.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 Which of these animals is a reptile?
2 What covers a reptile's body?
3 The first reptiles appeared about ?? million years ago.
4 Which picture shows โReptilesโ?
๐ฆ Discover more
๐ท Picture sources: Wikimedia Commons
- Stewart Nimmo ยท CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bibron, Gabriel; Dumรฉril, Auguste Henri Andrรฉ; Dumรฉril, C. ยท Public domain
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