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 REPTILES:
Reptiles are cold blooded creatures that first evolved from amphibians about
300-260 million year ago. Today
over 400 species of lizards, snakes, crocodiles and tortoise represent the
group in our country alone. Presence
of a dry scaly skin, lizard-like body and carnivorous habits have always
been considered bizarre, vile and vicious by man.
Ruthless killings caused by superstition, and for skin and meat has
made many Indian reptiles critically endangered.
- BEHAVIOR:
The major senses of sight, hearing
and smell show varying degrees of development in reptiles.
Snakes have special sense organs, the sensory pits in the snout.
Movement on land and water is dictated by the shape and size of
the reptiles. There are
these main types of reptilian body form.
These are lizards, snake and crocodiles, which are mainly
nocturnal and carnivorous. Movement
on land and water is dictated by the shape and size of the reptile.
- FAMILY:
Reptiles produce a large numbers
of offspring as their survival rate when young is very low.
While the newborns look like miniature adults they can also do,
fall prey easily to larger carnivorous including their own type.
Parental care is normally an expectation, except for crocodiles,
pythons, cobras and some ‘skinks’
(Small lizard
like reptiles) courtship is not very elaborate, and based on male
dominance.
- FACTS:
reptiles,
the first land ‘vertebrates’ (Animals
with a vertebral column or a back home) evolved from ‘amphibians’
(Animals that can live on land as well
as in water. e.g. frogs and toads.) that were mostly living in water. This was possible by the development of an egg that
protected the unborn embryo even on land.
Most reptiles live in the tropics, where temperature regulation
presents no problem. They
tide over unfavorable conditions by ‘hibernating’
(winter sleep to minimize the loss of
body energy) in winter and ‘aestirating’
(Summer sleep) in summer.
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