Many freshwater turtles such as painted turtles and red-eared sliders come out often to bask in the sun. Land turtles, such as box turtles and wood turtles, spend most of their life on land but like to soak in water occasionally. The gopher tortoise is a land dweller which digs complex burrows in the earth. The lizard family is most often confused with salamanders, which are amphibians. Lizards have have scales and claws, while salamanders do not.
Most lizards have eyelids, ear openings, four legs and a tail.
Lizard tails break easily if seized but can grow back. Some lizards, called glass lizards, are actually legless and resemble snakes. They do have eyelids and ear openings, however, and can be told apart in this manner. So although some lizards may bite, most cannot poison you. The snake family is closely related to the lizards and is considered the most modern group of reptiles.