1. Lana Malia
Lizards
REPTILESTurtles and Tortoises Crocodiles and Alligators
The only newsletter
Everything that you need to known that gives you all
reptiles all the time!
about this wonderful Class! With no snakes!
MOVEMENT
Reptiles which include lizards,
turtles, alligators, and crocodiles,
move in a variety of ways. Lizards
move by crawling because they cannot
lift their body above their limbs.
Turtles move by use of one of three
types of limbs. Turtles that live on
land most of the time have small,
strong feet that they use to walk.
Turtles that spend an equal amount of
time on land and in water have
webbed feet that they use to walk and
swim in a way that is not unlike the
doggy‐paddle. Turtles that live in the
water have @lippers that they use to
swim. These kinds of turtles use their
front limbs to generate thrust and their
back @lippers to steer. Alligators and
crocodiles move using the belly crawl
which is when the reptile’s head, belly,
and tail tend to drag on the ground and
the legs propel the animal forward.
The crocodile (top) and the alligator (bottom)
When swimming they mostly use their
tails to steer and move. Reptiles both swim in very similar ways.
transport nutrients and blood in their Top photo taken by Flicker user Sue Waters.
body through the use of a circulatory Bottom photo taken by Flicker user Joe
system. They have a three or four‐
Shiabotnik
chamber heart.
2
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2. REPTILES-THE BASICS! PAGE 2
This is a common lizard that shows thegeneral structure of most reptiles
covered in this newsletter. To the right is of a painted turtle.
Photo by Flicker user suchitra prints and Zevotron Rhoncus tempor placerat.
WHAT DO REPTILES EAT? Reptiles use lungs to
Reptiles eat anything breathe. The muscles between
from meat to insects to plants. the reptile’s ribs expand which
Most reptiles are carnivores. They allows the reptile to inhale and Interesting Facts
can eat mammals, birds, @ish, then the muscles contract which The Blanding Turtle
crustaceans, amphibians, insects, forces the air out of the lungs was found
and other reptiles as part of their causing the reptile to exhale.
daily diet. These prey animals can Reptiles regulate their body swimming and alive
be as small as mice or as large as temperature by moving into or under the ice in the
water buffalo. Reptiles that are out of the sun. When a lizard Great Lakes. This is
herbivores eat greens, vegetables, becomes too cold it moves into really unusual
fruits, and grasses. Omnivorous the sun to warm up. When a
reptiles eat both meat and plants. reptile gets too hot it moves out of because reptiles are
the sun and burrows underground cold-blooded which
HOW DO REPTILES REPRODUCE? or goes for a swim to cool off and means that they can
Most reptiles reproduce get the perfect body temperature.
sexually and produce eggs. Some let themselvees get
lizards reproduce through WHAT IS THE GENERAL STRUCTURE OF to cold or they wil
parthenogenesis, which is REPTILES? die!
reproduction without fertilization. The general structure of a
Among these lizards are the reptile is that it has scaly skin and
Komodo Dragon, the Whiptail a three or four chambered heart.
Lizard family, some rock lizards, They all breathe through lungs
and some geckos. In addition, and they are all cold‐blooded. The
some reptiles give birth to live types of reptiles that I am
young, including some of the studying all have four limbs. They
skink family. also have tails. Their skeletons
are like most other animals with
backbones. They have a spine, a
HOW DO REPTILES BREATHE AND REGULATE skull, and ribs.
TEMPURATURE?
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3. REPTILES-QUESTIONS! PAGE 3
Ask the Experts-
Anwsers to questions that you the readers sent in!
DEAR EXPERTS, WHAT ARE REPTILES PLACE IN shells to protect themselves, and
THE FOOD CHAIN? snapping turtles have tongues that
Reptiles are an important are shaped like worms that are
part of the food chain. They tend to used to attract prey.
be predators, but there are also
plant eating lizards. Reptiles tend DEAR EXPERTS, I NEED TO
not to be at the top of the food KNOW HOW REPTILES
chain, but they can be. The RESPOND TO STIMULI FOR
Komodo Dragon, the largest lizard SCHOOL. CAN YOU HELP ME?
in the world, is at the top of it’s own
food chain because nothing eats it. How do reptiles
respond to stimuli? Well
DEAR EXPERTS, MY KIDS WNAT TO KNOW WHERE they are cold‐blooded
REPTILES CAME FROM. CAN YOU HELP? animals, which means
Reptiles have a rich history.
that when they get cold
The tuatara lizard. Photo by Flicker user PhillipC
Reptiles developed during the they slow down. They
carboniferous period. They are the respond to the cold
basis from which birds evolved and stimuli by moving into the
share many things in common with sun. Jacky Dragon, a type of lizard Interesting Fact!
birds. They set the stage for the that can glide, responds to the Encomically,
dinosaurs and were the @irst shape of looming aerial predators
vertebrates to live on land. Now,
reptiles are used, by
by gliding away from the shape. I
Reptiles can be found on every hope this helps! humans, for food,
continent except Antarctica. They leather products,
also live in both fresh and salt and pets.
water. DEAR EXPERTS, CAN YOU NAME AN “ODDBALL”
REPTILE THAT SEEMS DIFFERENT THAN THE
Interesting Fact!
DEAR EXPERTS, WHAT ADAPTATIONS DO REPTILES REST? All members
HAVE? An oddball of the reptile of the reptile family
family is the Tuatara lizard. There have bilateral
Reptiles have many are only two types of this lizard left. symmetry. This
adaptations. Most of these make it It lives in New Zealand. They have means that they
possible for reptiles to live on land no outside ear, but are able to hear. have one line of
since they were evolved from They also have a “third eye” which
amphibians. Some of these no one seems to know the reason
symmetry, from
adaptations are skin that does not for. The Tuatara also has several their head to their
dry out when the animal is out of distinct parts of its skull that other tail.
water, legs that can be used to walk reptiles don’t tend to have. They
on land for long periods of time, are classi@ied as reptiles because
and having eggs that can be laid on they are cold‐blooded, have scaly
land. Other adaptations that skin, lay eggs, and are related to
reptiles have are that turtles have lizards.
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4. REPTILES-ENDANGERED!! PAGE 4
This is an article of reptiles that have
become Endangered!
PLEASE HELP US TO MAKE THEIR PLIGHT KNOWN!
Many reptiles are the Hawksbill Turtle which us because they are
extinct or endangered. is endangered because it is indicator animals. Indicator
Some examples of these hunted to make cosmetic animals are animals that
reptiles are the Burmese products, the Leatherback indicate how environment is
Peacock Turtle which has Turtle which is endangered doing. If the reptiles are
become endangered due to because of loss of habitat sick, then the environment
loss of habitat and over and hunting, and the Olive has something wrong with
capturing, the Logger Head Ridley Turtle which has it. That is why it is so
Turtle which is endangered become endangered due to important that we do not let
because of loss of habitat, over capture. these beautiful animal
the Green Turtle is Reptiles are become extinct!
endangered because of egg important to other
poaching and loss of habitat, organisms, the planet, and
Some organisms found in the Class Reptilia
There are many animals found in the Class Reptilia. Some of the common ones are napping and box turtle,
American alligators, Inguanas, and spiny lizards. Other not so known mambers of this extensive family are he gopher
tortoise, the Ground skink, Five-lines skink, and many others.
Rhoncus tempor placerat.
The loggerhead turtle (above) and the Green turtle (above and left) are both
endangered. Photos by Flicker user coda and Paul and Jill.
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5. REPTILES-FACTS! PAGE 5
Fun Facts about Reptiles
SOME RANDOM THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT REPTLES!
•There are reptiles on very continent except
Anarctica because it is much to cold
•Reptile skin is waterproof
•The gender of baby reptiles is often determines
by the temperature of the nest. If the nest is very
warm then most of the eggs will hatch female
reptiles.
•Reptiles have been on Earth for 300 million
years!
•Some reptiles can regenerate lost limbs.
Thak you for reading!
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6. REPTILES-BIBLIOGRAPHY! PAGE 6
The Bibliography
SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL THE SITES THAT PROVIDED INFORMATION
http://www.ehow.com/about_5436196_reptiles.html
http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/Reptile.htm
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/Alligator.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turtles
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/cbd-gb4.htm
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/cnhc/cbd-gb7.htm
http://bio.edu.ee/animals/Roomajad/roalgus.htm
http://www.petplace.com/reptiles/reptile-nutrition/page2.aspx
http://www.petplace.com/reptiles/reptile-nutrition/page3.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parthenogenesis
http://www.helium.com/items/952122-how-do-reptiles-reproduce
http://www.akatoo.com/question.html?question_id=1460675
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?
_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6W9W-4KCHD6G-2&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStr
Id=1072684971&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=54bab039e88dd6069cc0a0
bc0c63514a
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/nonpwdpubs/young_naturalist/animals/warm_and_cold_blooded_animals/index.phtml
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/17891-animals-with-backbones-reptile-adaptations-video.htm
http://x-reptiles-x.net/viewtopic.php?t=0995940299323
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/345004/lizard/38378/Natural-history#
http://www.britannica.com/facts/5/997955/skeleton-as-discussed-in-reptile-animal
http://www.essortment.com/all/reptilessnakes_rhus.htm
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/reptilia/44758
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_do_reptiles_usually_live
http://science.jrank.org/pages/5813/Reptiles.html
http://www.stoller-eser.com/trial/colorbook/food_web.html
http://www.eduscapes.com/nature/lizad/index1.htm
https://biomesfirst.wikispaces.com/Tropical+Rainforest+Food+Web
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_kind_of_symmetry_do_reptiles_have
http://www.earthsendangered.com/profile.asp?ID=3&sp=475
http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/reptiles/leatherback_turtle_frame.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/reptiles/olive_turtle_frame.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/reptiles/green_turtle_frame.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/reptiles/hawksbill_turtle_frame.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/19689/data/reptiles/loggerhead_turtle_frame.html
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/
How_are_reptiles_and_amphibians_an_important_component_of_a_natural_environment
http://ezinearticles.com/?Interesting-Facts-About-Reptiles&id=1069925
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