Reptilia

<- Powerpoint Presentation of Dating Service

**Reptilia.. !**


 * Kingdom:** Animalia
 * Phylum:** Chordata (Chordates)
 * Subphylum:** Vertebrata (Vertebrates)
 * Classes:** Reptilia (Reptiles)


 * Body Plan:** The skeleton is almost entirely made of bones and there's the differentiation in the cervical spine. There is an atals and an axis in the first two cervical vertebrae, which allow these animals to move their head more freely compared to amphibians. In the thorax part, ribs are fixed to the vertebrae.
 * Germ Layers:** The skin is covered in a horny epidermis, and the skin is thin and lacks the think dermal layer. Exposed parts of reptiles are protected by scales or scutes, sometimes with a bony base, forming armor.
 * Symmetry:** Bilateral
 * Habitat:** Varies over the species. It could be live in the water or in the dessert. (Snake, Turtle, Iguana, Lizard, Crocodile, etc.)
 * Movement:** Its movement is called musculature, or locomotion. The muscles of them are utilized both to move ingested prey internally. There are four basic types of locomotio: serpentine or lateral progression, rectilinear, sidewinding, and concertina. Serpentine or lateral progression is a form of locomotion with undulating crawl, commonly called 'slithering,' and the most common form of movement. Rectilinear is usually for large and heavy snakes which allows them to move the skin of the belly forward and then pull the rest of the body along. Sidewinding is to hurl their bodies in a sideways looping motion, and concertina is when the body bunches up forming horizontal loops and then the head moves forward and the body straightns, similar to an accordion or spring.


 * Evolutionary Advancement:** They have a remarkable evolutionary history. The earliest snakes were tiny, nearly blind fossorial (living underground) species, and fed on tiny prey like termites. Later, their descendents moved up above ground and re-evolved eyes from the vestiges of eyes left over from their ancient lizard ancestors. Further adaptations evolved that let their jaws disarticulate, or come apart, which let them eat prey much wider than the width of their heads.
 * Special Adaptations:** Reptiles exhibit some remarkable adaptations. Tails of lizards, for instance, are used for many purposes. The fat Gila monster of the Sonoran desert of North America uses its plump tail to store energy in the form of fat. African chameleons use their prehensile tail as a fifth limb to wrap around branches. The green iguana uses its tail as a whip-like weapon. But most fascinatingly, if a lizard doesn't have a better use for its tail, the lizard can give it away. If a predator attacks many species of lizard, the tail is designed to fall off. This distracts the predator from the rest of the lizard so it can get away. So the rule for lizard tails is "use it or lose it!".
 * Feeding Patterns:** They could be differentiate over the species. It could be omnivore, carnivore, or herbivore, depending on in which they were inhabited.


 * Respiration:** All reptiles breathe using lungs, while aquatic turtles have developed more permeable skin, and some species have modified their cloaca to increase the area for gas exchange. Most reptiles must hold their breath while swallowing since they lack a secondary palate.
 * Circulation:** Most reptiles have a three-chambered heart consisting of two atra, one variably partitioned ventricle, and two aortas that lead to the systemic circulation. This variation in blood flow allows more effective thermoregulation and longer diving times for aquatic species.
 * Excretory:** Excretion is performed mainly by two small kidneys. In diapsids, uric acid is the main nitrogenous waste product; turtles, like mammals, excrete mainly urea. Unlike the kidneys of mammals and birds, reptile kidneys are unable to produce liquid urine more concentrated than their body fluid. This is because they lack a specialized structure called a loop of Henle, which is present in the nephrons of birds and mammals. Because of this, many reptiles use the colon to aid in the reabsorption of water. Some are also able to take up water stored in the bladder. Excess salts are also excreted by nasal and lingual salt glands in some reptiles.
 * Nervous:** The reptilian nervous system contains the same basic part of the amphibian brain, but the reptile cerebrum and cerebellum are slightly larger. Most typical sense organs are well developed with certain exceptions, most notably the snake's lack of external ears (middle and inner ears are present). There are twelve pairs of cranial nerves. Due to their short cochlea, reptiles use electrical tuning to expand their range of audible frequencies.
 * Reproduction:** Reptiles lay eggs into the water. Around their embryo there is an “amnion” being created. The space between embryo and the amnion is filled with amniotic fluid. Nervous system especially hemispheres in the frontal lobe are more developed compared to amphibians.

Source: [] [] [] Picture: []