Reptiles

If they bite you and you die, they are ‘venomous’; if you bite them and you die, they are ‘poisonous’

Animals belonging to the Class Reptiles have three main characteristics in common – they are ectothermic (cold-blooded), they have skin covered with tough scales, and they all lay eggs.

Externally, reptiles show remarkable variation in appearance. Like snakes, they may be long, slender, and limbless or short and hard-shelled like turtles.

As they depend on external factors to control their temperatures, reptiles bask in the run to increase body temperatures and may hibernate during winters in temperate regions. Most reptiles periodically shed their skins to make space for them to grow, although some shed their skin as a whole (e.g., snakes) and others in patches (e.g., crocodiles). Some reptiles possess senses not seen anywhere else in the animal kingdom, like the light-sensitive ‘third eye’ in lizards which measures day length to control seasonal activity patterns.