reptile

any animal which in not a mammal or a bird or an amphibian:

a kind of animal – air-breathing with lungs – cold-blooded (= body temperature changes depending on the weather condition, so external heating, such as the ‘sun’s heat’ needed to maintain the body temperature; the advanced name for ‘cold-blooded’ is “ectothermic”, and the animals with this feature are called “ectothermes”) – with a back-bone and internal skeleton (bones) – body covered with mostly scales or horny plates – mostly four-legged (some are without legs, such as snakes; and some are with very small legs), short legs with sharp claws placed on the side of the body so that the walking looks like crawling – mostly egg-laying (some  species give birth to live young babies) – mostly live on land (some species live in trees, and some others in water); size: (varies greatly) the smallest (tiny gecko) ¾ of an inch (0.6 inch/1.6 cm) long, and weight: 5 grams, lives for 3-4 years, and the largest (saltwater crocodile) 15-18 feet long, and weight: from 500 Kg. to 1 ton (1,000 Kg.), lives for about 70 years; feeds on (eats) — small reptiles mostly on insects, and large reptiles on insects, other small to big animals, birds and bird eggs, and other reptiles; about 8,000 species, found all over the world, except Antarctica

The main types of reptiles (reptilia) are:

crocodilia: alligators, crocodiles, , caimans, gavials;

sphenodontia: tuatara; squamata: lizards, snakes, worm-lizards;

testudines: turtles, tortoises, terrapins

{The dinosaurs which started living some 300 millions ago, ruled the Earth for 160 million years and died out some 65 million years ago were ‘reptiles’, and the bird-like flying animals that lived along with the donosaurs were called ‘flying reptiles’!}

Figures of Speech:

reptile (or reptilian) (noun) =

(a) (of a person or thing) nasty; disloyal; treacherous

(b) to be in constant fear of something or someone; to be in obedience to someone powerful

[Return to "amphibian".]

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