What do the reptiles do?
Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates covered in special skin made up of scales, bony plates, or a combination of both. They include crocodiles, snakes, lizards, turtles, and tor- toises. Because of their slow metabolism and heat-seeking behavior, reptiles are cold-blooded.
What do reptiles do for the environment?
Reptiles are important components of the food webs in most ecosystems. They fill a critical role both as predator and prey species. Reptile species can also have a useful anthropogenic role in ecosystems. In some areas, they help control the numbers of serious agricultural pests by consuming rodent and insect pests.
What adaptations do reptiles have for living on land?
Living on land means reptiles can’t rely on absorbing oxygen through their skin like amphibians. All reptiles have lungs they use for breathing — even those who live most of their lives near or in water, such as crocodiles, must surface to breathe. Lungs allow reptiles to venture far away from aquatic environments.
How are reptiles able to live on land?
Reptiles reproduce sexually through internal fertilization; some species are ovoviviparous (lay eggs) and others are viviparous (live birth). Because of the development of impermeable, scaly skin, reptiles were able to move onto land since their skin could not be used for respiration in water.
How are reptiles able to control their body temperature?
Reptiles are ectotherms: they depend on their surrounding environment to control their body temperature; this leads to advantages, such as not being dependent on metabolic energy from food for body heat. Reptiles are also poikilotherms: animals whose body temperatures vary rather than remain stable.
What are the characteristics of a reptile animal?
These characteristics are scales and amniotic eggs (eggs with an internal fluid membrane). Reptiles are one of the six basic animal groups. Other basic animal groups include amphibians, birds, fish, invertebrates, and mammals.
How does ectothermy help reptiles survive in cold weather?
The advantage of ectothermy is that metabolic energy from food is not required to heat the body; therefore, reptiles can survive on about 10 percent of the calories required by a similarly-sized endotherm. In cold weather, some reptiles, such as the garter snake, brumate.
What are the living reptiles?
The major groups of living reptiles—the turtles (order Testudines), tuatara (order Rhynchocephalia [Sphenodontida]), lizards and snakes (order Squamata), and crocodiles (order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia)—account for over 8,700 species.
Which reptile has been on Earth the longest?
Giant Tortoise With an average lifespan of over 150 years, giant tortoises are the oldest reptiles in the world. Not only are giant turtles the oldest reptiles, but they are considered the longest lived vertebrae on record.
Why do I love reptiles so much?
Reptiles are interesting and/or attractive to look at, have unique personalities, and interesting behaviors. People enjoy having reptiles for the same reason they enjoy growing orchids, or keeping tropical fish. They’re relaxing to watch, and we take pride in watching them thrive in our care.
