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Surely more than once on summer nights you have seen on the exterior walls of the houses and low ceilings of the buildings a curious animal crouching in the shadows. It is about the gecko (Mauritanian Tarentola) or wall dragon and is a species of reptile, one of the six groups of the Animalia Kingdom. It is a very large and very old group.
If you are curious about these animals and ask yourself questions such as how many types of reptiles exist and what they are, we encourage you to continue reading the article that we present to you from Green Ecologist about the different types of reptiles, their characteristics and examples.
What are reptiles and their characteristics
Reptiles are Vertebrate animals that move crawling while dragging the belly on the ground. This type of displacement is due to the fact that, in their origin, they inhabited aquatic environments, but after years of evolution they have completely adapted to terrestrial life. Thus, there are also reptiles that have upright legs and move on foot, but always with the belly very close to the ground. This origin would also explain their need to inhabit areas with a nearby water presence. They normally inhabit places with land and water (such as lakes, swamps, riverbanks, etc.).
Among the main reptile characteristics stand out:
- Reptiles, along with mammals, fish, amphibians and birds, are part of the group of vertebrate animals.
- There are approximately 8,240 species of reptiles.
- Its body has dry skin made of scales.
- His breathing is through the lungs.
- They are cold-blooded animals, that is, their body temperature depends on weather conditions.
- Other characteristics are that they have upright pupils, they usually have a long tail and many of them have forked tongues.
- Refering to reptile reproductionMost of these are oviparous (they lay eggs that they fertilize in the nest), but there are also those that are viviparous (the embryo develops inside the female).
- The reptile feeding It is very varied, being able to be carnivores, insectivores, herbivores or omnivores. Among their preferred prey are mollusks, worms, fish, birds, rodents, goats and other animals.
Classification of reptiles
The classification by types or orders is divided into four large groups of reptiles:
- Squamata (or scaly), lizards and snakes, with more than 3,000 species.
- Anapsida, turtles or chelonians more than 300 species.
- Rhynchocephalia (Tuátaras), there are only 2 species.
- Crocodylomorpha, alligators and crocodiles, with more than 20 species.
Within these four types of reptiles, there are aquatic reptiles and terrestrial reptiles And, among the many species that are scattered around the world, below we show you 10 examples of reptiles.
The Komodo Dragon
The Komodo dragon or Varanus komodoensis is classified as the species of largest lizard in the world. It is also known as the Komodo monster or Komodo monitor. It typically inhabits Komodo Island and some of the other nearby islands. Its total length can reach 3 meters and its maximum weight is approximately 135 kg. One of the peculiarities of this species is that the adult individuals eat the smallest individuals and, occasionally, adult individuals.
Learn more about this large reptile with these other Green Ecologist articles on Does the Komodo dragon have poison? and Why the Komodo dragon is in danger of extinction.
Common chameleon
The common chameleon or Chamaeleo chamaeleon It is a species with an arched body but compressed on the side. It has a variable background color, as it is one of the animals that change color, a hard head characterized by a pointed shape, like a crest, on the back. Their eyes are very prominent and they have a long tongue that is capable of reaching great distances to catch their food.
Cuvier's Cayman
The Cuvier's alligator or Paleosuchus palpebrosus, typically inhabits the basins of the Orinoco, the Amazon and other South American tropical rivers, it has a very marked shape on its skull that reminds that of a dog, as it is not flattened like other species related to it, and it is a kind of small size, in which males do not reach much more than 1.5 m in length.
Here we show you the Difference between crocodile and alligator.
Indian python
The Indian python or Python molurus molurus It is best known for being the snake recreated by Kipling in The jungle book, the serpent called Kaa. It is one of the two subspecies of Python molurus there are and its range includes India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Each 5 m specimen can weigh about 90 kg.
Alligator yacaré
The alligator alligator or Caiman yacare it is an endemic species of the subtropical and tropical regions of central South America. This species of reptile of the Crocodylomorpha group is characterized by being able to reach almost three meters in length and because its skin is dark, hence it is also known as black alligator.
Stupid turtle
The loggerhead turtle, loggerhead turtle or Caretta caretta is a sea turtle pelagic that can reach 90 cm in length. However, specimens of more than 2.5 meters long have been found. The females of this species go to spawn on the same beaches where they were born, so they make trips of thousands of kilometers.
We encourage you to get to know it better with these other posts about Why the loggerhead turtle is in danger of extinction and Types of sea turtles and their characteristics.
Horned lizard
The horned lizard or Phrynosoma cornutum, also called Texas chameleon, is a lizard that inhabits desert areas in Mexico and the United States. It stands out for one of its surprising defense methods, being able to shoot a jet of blood from the corners of the eyes up to 1.5 meters long, to confuse its predators.
Marine iguana
The marine iguana or Amblyrhynchus cristatus It is a reptile closely related to land iguanas. They are endemic iguanas of the Galapagos Islands. Adults reach 1.5 meters and 15 kilos and feed only on seaweed, especially those exposed by low tide.
In this link you can learn more about the Flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands.
King Cobra
The king cobra or Ophiophagus hannah It is a snake that inhabits large areas of India, Burma, South China and other areas of Southeast Asia. It is the largest poisonous snake that exists, as it can reach 6 meters. Thus, apart from having an impressive size, it also has a powerful venom and feeds mainly on other snakes.
Common gecko
The common gecko or Mauritanian Tarentola It is a small reptile that is distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin, belonging to the gecónidae family. They are nocturnal and feed mainly on insects, so in summer it is easy to see them near light sources. Its appearance is reminiscent of a small dragon, like that of the rest of the geckos family, which is why it is also called dragoncillo or wall dragon.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of reptiles, their characteristics and examples, we recommend that you enter our Wild Animals category.
Bibliography- Natur Parc Santa Eugenia. (2022). Reptiles Recovered from: http://www.naturaparc.net/reptiles.html
