Types of Reptiles

The first reaction that people give when they hear about them is.."Eeewww! Gross!" They are slimy, slithery creatures, that crawl on the ground. They were the first animals to have set foot on this earth from water, nearly 300 million years ago. They were the first animals to conquer dry land. But still when we see any animal belonging to the reptile class, we go "Eeeewwww". Have you see the late Steve Irwin shows on TV? Have you seen the way he used to handle the crocodiles? Amazing wasn't it? That's how superb it is to handle or to deal with reptiles. There are so many types of reptiles and amphibians who have been walking this earth for millions of years. Given here is some information about various reptiles. Do you know how many there are? Read on to know the answer.

Different Reptiles

Reptiles are the only ones among all the other animals who had actually walked the same ground at the time when the dinosaurs had ruled the world. They have been on this earth for the past 300 million years. You have probably read in your school textbooks about the different reptiles that you generally hear about or maybe you have even seen some of them, such as snakes, lizards, tortoise, turtles, crocodiles, etc. Most of the reptiles breathe through their lungs, but some also breathe through membranes that are situated near their mouth. Do you actually have any idea as to how many types are there in the world? Well there are four main types in this world, which have been described in detail below.

Crocodilia
This class of reptiles includes the crocodiles, the alligators, the gharials, and also the caymans. There are at least 23 different species of crocodilia in this world. They appeared in this world about 84 million years ago. That was during the late cretaceous period. The closest living relatives of the birds are the crocodilia. They have a semi-erect posture. Their teeth are like human teeth, i.e. they are set in bony sockets. They can replace their teeth all through their lifetime, unlike other mammals. They have a secondary bony palate, which helps them to breathe even when their mouth is full of water.

Squamata
This is one of the other type which consists of the snakes and lizards. Not many people would like to own a snake or lizard but there are some who would love to have these reptiles for pets. This category contains over 7000 types of snakes and lizards. The lizards belong to the category of Lacertilis and the snakes belong to the category of Serpentes. The lizards come in various shapes and sizes. They can be the miniature dwarf Gecko or they can also be as big as the Komodo Dragon. The snakes on the other hand, unlike the other reptiles, do not have legs. They just wiggle or crawl on the ground. Did you know that among all the reptiles and animals, snakes are the ones that are feared the most by people? These snakes can be venomous or they can be non-poisonous. They can either swim in water or stay on land. The tongue of the snake is very special as it acts like a nose to them. Some people also keep snakes as pets. So you see, they are not that scary.

Testudines
Tortoise and turtles are the ones that belong to this category of reptiles. Have you seen the Box turtle, the green sea turtle, the Alligator Snapping turtle? Have you heard of the African Spurred tortoise or the Big Headed tortoise? They all belong to this category. I am sure you know that turtles and tortoise can live for many years. Some live for more than 300 years. Not all turtles and tortoises can be kept as pets, specially the Alligator Snapping turtle. These turtles and tortoise have powerful jaws and they spend most of their time in freshwater.

Sphenodontia
Two rare species belong to this category. The species are called the Tuataras. You can relate these species to the snakes and the lizards, although they mainly resemble the lizards. These species belong to New Zealand. They have walked this earth for more than 200 million years. They are a 'legend'.

I know they are creepy and crawly with scaly skin, but they are some amazing creatures. Next time you see any category of reptiles, be it a snake or a lizard or anything, do not be afraid. They are just misunderstood creatures. If you see them closely, you will find that like cats and dogs, even they can be very cute and adorable.