9. Reptiles

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9.1 Reptiles and their characteristics
9.2 Gallery – Reptile species

9.1 Reptiles and their characteristics

2020-10-13T13:30:08+03:00

REPTILE CHARACTERISTICS
Snakes	Lizards
Vertebratic organisms	A good sense of smell
Lungs	A good sense of sight
Internal fertilization	Poikilothermic (cold-blooded)
Membraneous eggs	Overwintering by brumation
No limbs	Four limbs
No eyelids	Eyelids
No earholes	Earholes
Species: adder or viper, grass snake	Species: viviparous lizard

During the previous chapter, the question of whether amphibians were land-dwelling or water-dwelling animals was posed. The conclusion was that amphibians are dependent on aquatic environments for their reproduction, but that otherwise they were quite well adapted to life on land.

What about reptiles? Reptiles have descended from amphibians, but do they have a similar relationship with water? The answer is no: unlike amphibians, reptiles are fully adapted to life on land, and usually require only a little water to survive.

The table above lists some key characteristics of all reptiles. It also introduces the two most important groups of reptiles: snakes and lizards.

Reptiles are poikilothermic, which means that their body temperature changes alongside the temperature of their environment. The lizard in the picture is warming itself up on a rock.

9.2 Gallery – Reptile species

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: The adder is a common Finnish snake species. It has a sharp head, red eyes, and long pupils.
: Adders can be identified from afar by the zigzagging patterns on their backs.
: A brown adder.
: Adders are poisonous snakes. They use poison when preying on small animals. When their prey has been stunned by the poison, the adder swallows it in one bite.
: The grass snake is easy to identify by looking at the yellowish spots on the back of its head. Otherwise, they are quite dark. Unlike adders, their pupils are round.
: Reptiles, such as viviparous lizards, change their skin regularly.
: Young viviparous lizards develop inside their mother. Each baby lizard is protected by a membraneous egg. The pictured lizard is close to giving birth to its offspring.
: Lizards spend their winters by brumating under large rocks or tree trunks. When brumating, their body temperature drops and their vital functions slow down almost completely.
: The common slowworm is a lizard. Its head resembles that of a viviparous lizard.
: Slowworms are limbless lizards. They are not snakes.

9. Reptiles

Contents

9.1 Reptiles and their characteristics

9.2 Gallery – Reptile species