### animal | vertebrate:

Reptile
* All reptiles are cold-blooded
  - supposed to have developed from the stem reptiles, the cotylosaurs
  - breathe with lungs
* All reptiles carry salmonella, a serious, but easily preventable illness
  - various strains of salmonella as part of their natural gut flora
  - hatch from eggs whether in or outside of the body
* All reptiles have a single bone in the ear and on average six bones on each side of the lower jaw
  - three-chambered heart
  - advanced eyesight
  - backbones and bodies covered with dry scales
  - four legs
  - more than one bone in their jaws
* All reptiles have one, so they have feelings
  - likely have feelings
* All reptiles have scaly skin, breath air with lungs, and have a three-chambered heart
* All reptiles produce eggs with a waterproof shell full of amniotic fluid
  - salmonella naturally and can transmit infections to humans
* Learn about turtles, lizards, snakes and other reptiles.
* Many reptiles also live here, such as the alligator-like cayman, and rattlesnakes
  - show a strong preference for eliminating into their water dishes
  - are ectothermic
  - begin dispersing immediately after hatching, which also results in mortality peaks
  - benefit from vitamins in the water
  - can live a long life when properly cared for
  - carry some salmonella
  - die within their first year of life
  - display mating rituals
* Many reptiles have a reputation for being very long-lived, and crocodiles are no exception
  - an opening - the parietal foramen which houses the parietal eye
  - different requirements when it comes to lighting
  - other adaptations for life in a dry environment
  - temperature-dependent sex determination
  - three sacrals, a few as many as eight or nine
  - hide, or are camouflaged to blend in with their surroundings
  - including turtles are herbivores and carnivores
  - rely on rocks and logs for shelter
  - spend most of their time on land, but some spend a great deal of time in the water
  - turn a darker colour when basking in order to absorb the sun's warmth better
* Most reptiles absorb a lot of vitamins through their skin.
* Most reptiles adapt to conditions
  - dry habitats
  - ecological niches
  - terrestrial niches
  - also lay eggs but their eggs are fertilised internally
* Most reptiles are active predators
  - also camoflauged, and have a simmilar bone structure as birds
* Most reptiles are carnivores that feed on small invertebrates, mammals and reptiles
  - though there are a view omnivores and herbivores
  - carnivorous and feed on mammals, birds, other reptiles, fish, insects and eggs
  - distinguished from snakes
  - egg-layers, although some produce live young
* Most reptiles are located in ecosystems
  - nature
  - oviparous but there are exceptions
  - perceived as slimy , nasty creatures
  - predators which means they eat other animals to survive
  - solitary by nature
  - terrestrial, but a few are aquatic
  - carry bacteria
  - chew food
  - collect food
* Most reptiles come from earth
  - in size
  - cope with conditions
* Most reptiles descend from ancestors
  - common ancestors
  - develop lungs
* Most reptiles eat animal food
  - bullfrogs
  - meals
* Most reptiles eat other animals, however some lizards and turtles eat mainly plants
  - prey
  - their prey as a whole
* Most reptiles emerge from eggs
  - environments
  - engage in fertilization
* Most reptiles excrete concentrate urine
  - electrolytes
  - excess electrolytes
  - uric acid
  - waste
  - exist on earth
* Most reptiles feed on grow plants
  - live prey
  - feel cold to our touch, while mammals and birds often feel warm
  - gain heat
  - give birth to reptiles
  - go to water
* Most reptiles has-part backs
  - glands
  - limbs
  - mouths
  - organs
  - stomachs
  - tails
* Most reptiles have a good sense of vision
  - nearly four-chambered heart
  - anaerobic capacity
  - body temperature
  - brains
  - breaths
  - diets
* Most reptiles have dry scaly skin
  - external ears
  - few natural predators
  - flat heads
  - glomeruluses
  - hearts
* Most reptiles have high anaerobic capacity
  - inner skeletons
  - meat
  - origins
  - poison glands
  - population size
  - senses
  - soft skin
  - strong teeth
  - teeth, except for turtles, and most lay eggs
  - thin skin
  - vestigial limbs
  - hold breaths
  - kill prey
* Most reptiles live during time
  - in Mexico
* Most reptiles live in cold temperate regions
  - zones
  - marsh
  - ranges
* Most reptiles live in temperate regions
  - on food
* Most reptiles live on land all their lives
  - and reproduce by laying eggs
  - land, but turtles, crocodiles, and some snakes live in water
  - over years
  - look like lizards
  - love to be misted with a water bottle
* Most reptiles make eggs
  - noise
  - originate from either tropical or desert environments therefore, heating is essential
  - perform attacks
* Most reptiles possess bodies
  - features
  - mammalian characteristics
  - membranes
  - metabolism
  - several characteristics
  - sprawl limbs
  - produce firm eggs when they are laid, tegu eggs are dented and soft
* Most reptiles reach maturity
  - sexual maturity
* Most reptiles regulate body temperature
* Most reptiles relate to animals
  - dinosaurs
* Most reptiles reproduce sexually, though some are capable of asexual reproduction
* Most reptiles require environments
* Most reptiles resemble crocodiles
  - giant lizards
  - retain skin
* Most reptiles seek food
* Most reptiles serve as food
  - share several similarity
* Most reptiles show brain development
  - variability
  - stand on legs
* Most reptiles survive climates
  - harsh climates
* Most reptiles thrive in deserts
  - wetland
* Most reptiles use colons
  - external heat sources for temperature regulation, and are ectothermic
* Note five vertebral regions, cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and caudal.
* REptiles are one of the oldest living animals on earth.
* Some reptiles actually live in the ocean.
* Some reptiles affect hatch success
* Some reptiles also have bony plates or nodules formed and lying within the dermis
  - require light misting daily
* Some reptiles appear in regions
  - sea
* Some reptiles are escape artists, so ensure that their cages are securely enclosed
  - evolved from fish
  - known as snakes
* Some reptiles are located in Iowa
  - Wisconsin
  - islands
  - stones
  - more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles
  - oviparous and others viviparous while some are both
* Some reptiles become dominant land vertebrates
  - fathers
* Some reptiles can convert radiation directly to heat, that is why lizards sun themselves
  - develop a urinary tract infection
  - hibernate for months and years at a time without suffering adverse effects
  - live as long as thirty years
  - carry salmonellas
  - conserve water
  - continue to grow throughout their lives
* Some reptiles depend on eggs
* Some reptiles detect heat radiation
* Some reptiles eat animals, and others eat plants
* Some reptiles emerge from Africa
  - forests
  - parks
  - escape sewers
* Some reptiles evolve from amphibian ancestors
  - amphibians
  - into reptiles
* Some reptiles exploit environments
  - terrestrial environments
* Some reptiles find food
  - in grassland
  - flourish around swamps, streams, and marshes in order to keep their bodies moist
* Some reptiles give birth to animals
  - live young and some reproduce asexually by parthenogenesis
  - has-part cartilages
* Some reptiles have a degree of physiological regulation
  - cerebrums
  - crests
  - diversity
  - fairly short life spans
  - health problems
  - holes
  - internal fertilization
  - long tails
  - much time
  - partial separation of the ventricle
  - penises
  - small holes
  - tubes
  - twin tubes
  - help scientists
* Some reptiles hide in forests
  - weeds
* Some reptiles inhabit coasts
  - island coasts
  - subtropical sea
  - keep their eggs in their babies until they hatch
  - kill rats
  - know as theropods
* Some reptiles live during early periods
  - for decades
* Some reptiles live in Afghanistan
  - Kansas
  - Texas
  - districts
  - dunes
  - fresh water
  - riverbanks
  - south american rivers
  - towns
  - on islands
  - maintain body temperature
* Some reptiles maintain constant body temperature
* Some reptiles pose hazards
  - threats
* Some reptiles possess ancestry
  - gills
  - shells
* Some reptiles produce body heat
  - own body heat
  - provide care for their young
  - relate to lizards
* Some reptiles rely on fertilization
* Some reptiles require care
  - complete privacy to eat
  - extensive parental care
  - rest on islands
  - return to sea
* Some reptiles seek eggs
  - seize fish
  - show variation
  - sit in sand
* Some reptiles sit on stones
  - windows
* Some reptiles suffer burns
  - severe burns
  - swim in sea
  - threaten ecosystems
  - thrive in environments
  - use cavities
* Some reptiles vary in body shapes
  - wait for prey
  - walk on legs
  - watch amphibians
* act as a source of salmonellosis.
  - life in the sea, in the air, and on land
* also have a single bone in the middle ear, the stapes
  - one more type of excretion product, called urates or uric acid
  - scaly skin and a three chambered heart
  - their battles witness the combats between snake and mongoose
  - thick, scaly skin that resists water loss and efficient lungs
  - what is called an amniote egg
  - radiate into the marine realm, becoming the first large air-breathing predators
  - require cover objects
  - show greater diversity in protective methods against their enemies
* are , unable to generate their own heat, so they have a slow metabolic rate.
* are a class of animal with scaly skin
  - animals, made up of snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians and tuatara
  - group of animals that includes lizards , snakes , turtles , dinosaurs , and birds
  - paraphyletic group
  - very diverse animal class
* are air-breathing from hatching onwards
  - vertebrates that have scaly skin and spend much of their time on land
  - air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates that have skin covered in scales
  - all cold-blooded
* are also a major target for wildlife smugglers
  - common and include rock iguanas, terrapins and turtles
  - amniotes
  - among the earliest earthly inhabitants
  - animals like snakes and turtles
  - born looking like smaller versions of their parents
  - capable of adapting to extremely high temperatures because they are cold blooded
* are cold blooded and the enzymes in their stomach are activated by heat
  - vertebrate animals
  - but birds are warm blooded
* are cold-blooded , and some have developed unusual strategies to absorb heat
  - and breathe with lungs
* are cold-blooded animals and heat is essential to their well being
  - with bodies commonly encased in scales, although some are naked
  - creatures that depend on behavior to regulate body temperature
  - cold-blooded, air breathing animals
* are cold-blooded, and birds are warmblooded
  - their skin is usually covered with scales
  - breath air and have dry scales that usually cover their bodies
  - have skin covered with scales, and lay eggs
  - scaly skinned vertebrates
  - so their body temperature is controlled by their environment
  - they have scales, and they have a backbone
  - common as well, including a dense population of cottonmouth snakes
  - covered in dry scales
  - descendants of the massive dinosaurs
  - different in many ways
  - easy to care for
  - ectotherms and use behavioral adaptations to regulate their body temperature
  - ectotherms, that is, animals whose main source of body heat comes from the environment
  - efficient predators, however in many occasions the predator becomes the prey
  - especially well-adapted to survive in hot deserts
  - groups of animals that breathe air, have scales on their bodies, and lay eggs
  - happier when they can hide
  - important components of the food webs in most ecosystems
  - in abundance such a crocodile, African rock python, gecko lizards and many others
  - larger, and amphibians are increasing in size and number of species
  - likely to be most approachable when basking
  - zoos
  - masters of water and energy conservation
  - modern-day animals related to the dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals
* are more independent of their environ- ment than are amphibians
  - restricted in distribution
  - numerous and lizards and snakes make their homes in the country's deserts
* are often a misunderstood and feared group
  - particularly likely to harbor the bacteria
  - physiologically incapable of having rabies, a definite advantage over dogs and cats
  - plentiful, snakes and lizards being fairly frequently encountered
  - poikilothermic
  - probably the one animal group visitors most associate with desert habitats
  - prone to the same type of health problems as mammals
  - rare, once again, because of cold temperatures
  - reptiles because they are different from other phylum's
  - scale-bearing and again, many lay eggs
  - terrestrial animals
  - tetrapod vertebrates that produce amniotic eggs
  - tetrapods and amniotes, which means their embryos are surrounded by a thin membrane
* are the ancestors and close relatives of the dinosaurs
  - fastest growing segment of the U.S. pet population
  - vertebrate, or backboned, animals constituting the class Reptilia
* are vertebrates that breathe air and are covered with scales rather than hair or feathers
  - have a backbone with tough, dry skin covered with horny scales
  - wild animals
  - wonderfully diverse in size, shape, color, and lifestyle
* become abundant
  - more diverse
* begin their lives as embryos in amniotic eggs
  - to emerge from winter dormancy and become more apparent by the end of the month
* belong to the class Reptilia.
* belonging to Crocodilia are the closest living relatives of birds.
  - in much the same way as humans do, inhaling and exhaling through their lungs
  - use lungs
* bury eggs.
* can also live in habitats ranging from swamps to deserts
  - on land because their leg positioning allows for more support
  - pick up some parasites from eating food items that contain parasites
* can be lizards, snakes, crocodilians, turtles or tuataras
  - small or large, heavy or lightweight
  - defend themselves from other animals in many ways
  - float on rafts during storms
  - reproduce on dry land, because they have amniotic eggs and internal fertillization
* capture their prey in different ways.
  - salmonella in their digestive tracts and frequently shed the bacteria in their feces
* come in all shapes and sizes, from tiny geckos to mammoth dinosaurs
* commonly become victims of pathologies and injuries in captivity.
* constitute another important part of the fauna.
* consume rodents.
* continue growing all their lives.
* control their body temperature through thermoregulation.
* depend on the air temperature to maintain their body heat.
* develop efficient methods
* dig holes.
* digest food.
* display approximately the same annual activity cycle.
* do get sick, and preventing illness is definitely preferred to treatment.
* easily go into dormancy during warm months or hibernate in winter surviving on stored fat.
* eat amphibians for lunch
  - their eggs fully shaped
* evolve long before mammals, and have a head start.
  - uric acid , which is semisolid and nontoxic
* generally come and go as they please
  - deposit their eggs in nests
  - produce fewer eggs than amphibians
* grow slowly until they reach adult size and sexual maturity.
* have a billows-style lung where the air entering the lungs mixes with the air exiting
  - body temperature that is the same as their surroundings
  - copulatory organ permiting internal fertilization, necessary for a shelled egg
  - different type of scale altogether, made of keratin, or horn
  - dry skin , usually protected by scales
  - general competitive advantage over amphibians
  - high rate of salmonella infection
  - more efficient circulatory system and higher blood pressures than amphibians
  - much larger number of individual bones in their skulls than do mammals
  - rather thick integument with few glands and many scales
  - scaly skin that is resistant to drying
  - semi-improved posture
  - similar, but much simpler, structure
  - thick, scaly skin that is keratinized and impermeable to water
  - tiny brain contained inside a small bony box at the back of the skull
  - two-chambered heart
  - very similar immun system structure
  - an interesting and captivating approach to everything they do
  - bodies that are covered with dry scales, are cold-blooded, and lay leathery eggs
  - complex yet highly stereotyped and species-characteristic behavior patterns
  - complex, shelled eggs similar to a bird's, which are laid on land
* have dry and scaly skin, whereas amphibians feel moist and sometimes rather sticky
  - covered skin, and most lay eggs
* have dry scaly skin and spend all of their lives on land
  - skin and scales, and include snakes, lizards and turtles
* have dry, scale covered skin, three-chambered hearts, and fertilize internally
  - scaley skin while amphibians have smooth, moist skin
  - scaly skin and lay shelled eggs in dry locations
  - efficient water conservation
  - even a lower ratio of domestication
  - no such dental pattern
* have scales and are dry to the touch
  - instead of skin, and have forked tongues
  - or plates
  - scales, which act as a sort of armor to physically defend the body
* have scaly skin and are cold blooded- snakes, lizards
  - skin, breathe air with lungs, and have a three-chambered heart
  - seven bones in the lower jaw
  - six bones in each half of the lower jaw
  - smooth, dry skin
  - some form of copulatory organ, permitting internal fertilization
  - three digits that match with the middle finger, index finger, and thumb of a human
  - tough, dry, scaly skin offering protection against desiccation and physical injury
  - twelve cranial nerve pairs
  - undifferentiated teeth whereas mammals have differentiated teeth
  - various adaptations to protect themselves from predators
  - very similar life cycles to fish, birds and to a lesser degree mammals
* hear by detecting vibrations both in the air and in the ground.
* hibernate in the winter
  - winter by burrowing themselves deep into the ground or sliding between rocks
* hunt herbivores
* include chameleons
  - salamanders
* includes brains
  - breasts
  - cell membranes
  - cells
  - chest cavities
  - chests
  - corpi
  - cytoplasm
  - faces
  - nuclei
  - pedal extremities
  - plasma membranes
  - rib cages
  - sections
  - sterna
  - vacuoles
  - vertebrate feet
* keep their bodies warm and cold by shifting between two different environments.
* lay eggs on land, and the babies hatch from the eggs
  - protected by leathery shells
  - few eggs and provide some parental care
* lie in sun taking in the heat.
* like to lie and bask in the sun on cold winter's days.
* live all over the world, except in Antarctica
* live in Mexico
  - a variety of environments, from moist and cool to dry and hot
* live on food
* love live mealworms and are a staple of many reptile diets.
* make appearances
* meet fate.
* metabolize substances at different rates than do mammals and birds.
* molt as they grow.
* need light.
* normally take longer to dry and are more susceptible to shrinkage.
* often arrive at pet stores emaciated, dehydrated, wounded, and infected with parasites
  - display elaborate or unusual courtship behaviors prior to mating
  - possess at least two pigments
  - react based on instinct
* open mouths.
* possess a variety of glands, although their function is poorly understood
  - both amnion and allantois
  - yet another marvelous terrestrial adaptation, the amniotic egg
* prey on animals.
* produce a type of concentrated urate instead of our normal liquid waste to excrete ammonia
  - uric acid which is excreted as a substance non-soluble to water or even as a solid
* range in size considerably.
* replace their scales throughout their lifetimes
  - teeth continuously throughout their life
* reproduce by laying eggs with shells
  - their eggs on dry land
* require access to direct sunlight or artificial light at all times
  - little attention on a daily basis
  - much time and energy
  - warmth, coolness and humidity to thrive
* roam earth
* seem to do very well in the heat.
* share characteristics
  - follow characteristics
* shed skin.
  - much greater tolerance to low humidity and saline waters
* take on the temperature of their environment.
* tend to be laid back, and are usually cooperative
  - take very long good naps after they eat
* typically derive their internal body temperatures from the substrate and sunlight.
* undergo a cycle of development that is like many other animals.
* undoubtably play an important role in the proper functioning of the regional ecosystem.
  - keratin to waterproof
  - their lungs for breathing
  - various forms of locomotion to move from place to place
* usually hibernate in winter.
* warm themselves mainly by behavioural adaptation.
+ Herpetology: Branches of zoology :: Reptiles :: Amphibians
  * Both of them are cold-blooded, and are similar in other ways as well. Many amphibians do not have lungs at all, but use their wet skin to breathe. Reptiles have a dry skin, usually protected by scales.
+ Reptile, Birds in relation to reptiles
  * Some reptiles are more closely related to birds than they are to other reptiles. Crocodiles are more closely related to birds than they are to lizards. Theropod dinosaurs are even more closely related, because birds evolved from them.
+ Sex determination, Determination by the environment: Classical genetics :: Developmental biology :: Cell biology :: Biological reproduction
  * For many species sex is determined by environmental factors experienced during development. Many reptiles have temperature-dependent sex determination. The temperature embryos experience during their development determines the sex of the organism.
+ The Lost Wand, Significance and Interpretation of Symbols, The Lizard: Fairy tales
  * This is why it is not unusual that the master of the gnomes, who happen to like hot weather, is a lizard. Most reptiles are perceived as slimy, nasty creatures. In this case, the Lizard is fair and considerate of all situations. Just like everything else, not all is what it seems.