GENERAL CHARACTERS

The term Reptilia originated from Latin

word Repto / Reptor Creep/crawl

Study of reptiles ( herpeton)

-Herpetology

Reptiles are predominently terrestrial( land

dwelling) , creeping, burrowing , mostly
carnivorous, poikilothermic (cold blooded) ,
mostly oviparous (egg laying) ,tetrapod (four
legged) verebrates .
Some Reptiles are aquatic example : Chelone

Some are arboreal (dwell on trees ) example

:Chameleon

Body form of Reptiles varies , it may be short,

long , broad, narrow, broad,cylindrical or

depressed.
Body is divided into head, neck, trunk and tail.
Appendages two pairs of limbs ending in five
digits each (pentadactyl) ,ending in claws.
Limbs maybe modified into paddles for
swimming Example : Chelone

In snakes limbs are absent.

Skin is dry, rough and non-glandular

,covered by an exo-skeleton of horny
epidermal scales ,bony plates or bony
scutes made of keratin.
Most lizards and snakes have overlapping
scales arranged diagonally and also into
spikes, emphasizing protection from other
animals. By emphasizing skin color, scales
help play a role in defense, courtship, and
territorial acts.
Since most reptiles are cold-blooded or ecto
-thermic, they are unable to produce their
own body heat in which they rely on the sun
and the scales help to keep body heat in.

Scales are of many types

granular(appear bumpy) ,keeled (have a

centre ridge).Scales vary in size stouter
larger scales cover parts that are often
exposed to stress( feet,tail and
head).Scales are small around the joints
for flexibility.In crocodiles the scales are
modified into plate-like scutes . Turtles
and tortoises have shell made of bony
plates to protect their soft bodies

Most lizards and snakes have overlapping scales

arranged diagonally and also into spikes for

protection from other animals.
Colouration of scales help in defense, courtship, and
territorial acts.
Since most reptiles are cold-blooded or ecto thermic,
they are unable to produce their own body heat so
they rely on the sun rays and the scales help to keep
body heat in.

Reptiles are poikilothermic or cold

blooded forms,the body temperature

varies according to that of the
environment.

Endo skeleton is completely

ossified.Skull is monocondylar (single

occipital condyle)

Skull may have temporal fossa

Brain in Reptiles well developed. 12

pairs of cranial nerves .

Sense organs in Reptilia

Senses of smell and vision well

developed .Snakes have additional

Jacobsons organ for smelling . Sense of
hearing is poor ,they can only perceive
vibrations of the earth.

Digestive system in Retiles is complete.

Alimentary canal leads into cloacal

chamber .

Respiration in Reptiles takes place by

lungs (pulmonary) throughout life.

Turtles also have cloacal respiration .

Heart in Reptilians is incompletely four chambered,

having two auricles and partly divided ventricle.
They have systemic and pulmonary circulation.
Crocodiles have four chambered heart .
RBCs are nucleated, oval shaped and biconvex

Excretion in Reptiles is performed mainly by two

smallmetanephric kidneys. Uric acid is the

mainnitrogenous waste product (uricotelic
forms),turtles excrete mainly urea .
Reptile kidneys are unable to produce liquid urine

more concentrated than their body fluid because they

lack loop of Henle in the nephrons.
Reptiles use thecolonto aid in thereabsorption of

water. Some are also able to take up water stored in

thebladder . Excess salts are also excreted by nasal
and lingualsalt glands in some reptiles like chelones .

Reptiles generallyreproduce sexually .

Most reptiles havecopulatory organs,

which are usually retracted or inverted
and stored inside the body.
In turtles and crocodilians, the male has
a single medianpenis, while squamates,
including snakes and lizards, possess a
pair ofhemipenes.

Most reptiles lay amniotic eggs covered with leathery

or calcareous shells. Anamnion ,chorion, andallantois

are present duringembryonic life. The shell protects
and keeps it from drying out, but it is flexible to allow
gas exchange. The chorion aids in gas exchange .The
albumin serves as a reservoir for water and protein.
The allantois collects the metabolic waste produced by
the embryo. The amniotic sac with amniotic fluid
which protects and cushions the embryo. The amnion
aids in osmoregulation .The yolk sac surrounding the
yolk contains protein and fat rich nutrients that are
absorbed by the emryo. The air space provides the
embryo with oxygen while it is hatching. This ensures
that the embryo will not suffocate while it is hatching.

Mostly oviparous forms lay cleidoic (yolk

laden) eggs. There are no larval stages in
development.
In some forms like Viperovoviviparityis
seen, fertilized eggs develop and hatch
inside the mother, who then gives birth
to live young ones which resembles the
adult .

Credits :Wikipedia
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