There are more than 4000 reptiles living in the world. Reptiles are recognized by their scales. Scales can be in any shape, size or color. Reptiles are cold blooded animals, so when reptiles are very cold, they cannot move easily. When they are very hot, they die. There are many types of reptiles. Some of them are-
Snakes- snakes are predators without legs. They crawl on the ground with their muscles. They have a poisonous bite and swallow their food whole. They are talented hunters which ambush their prey with different techniques. They too have predators like, mongoose, eagles, falcons, secretory birds etc. Snakes sometimes scare off their enemies by looking scary or biting them. Snakes can sense heat of a mammal a mile away with their eyes or special sensors called pits.
Crocodiles- Crocodiles are some of the largest and the most feared reptiles. They are found in all the tropical and equatorial rivers. The smallest is Africa’s mini crocodile. The largest is the salt -water crocodile. Crocodiles eat fish and crabs. Larger ones eat deer, bison, etc. Crocodiles keep their mouth open to rest on land. They sweat from their mouth so they do this on land. A crocodile can hold its breath for long periods before coming up to breathe. The Jaguar is the main predator. A crocodile can escape a Jaguar by swimming to the riverbed.
Lizards- Lizards have been since the time of dinosaurs. Now you can see lizards in jungles, in houses, in forests and even in spaces where they can fit. The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard. It lives in some of the islands of Indonesia. It is vulnerable but dangerous. Lizards can be found everywhere. You don’t have to go searching for them. You can find them in your home! They are highly intelligent and use their senses to find food. Lizards have many predators like snakes, other lizards and even some carnivorous plants. They escape predators by going into small edges and corners. Some lizards such as the Komodo dragon, The Monitor lizard and the Bengal monitor don’t have any predators.
Turtles and Tortoises – These are the only animals which have shell in the reptile family. These reptiles move slowly on land, but swiftly in water. They have sharp beak like mouth and most of them can hide inside their shell. Turtles can be found everywhere except Australia. They can be found both in rivers and seas. Turtles eat fish while tortoises eat water plants.
Reptiles are in the threat of extinction. Their ancestors, the dinosaurs made new generation to continue the lifeline of reptiles. We must help them to make the world a better place for them.