Reptiles
The Reptile class of animals includes crocodiles, tortoises, lizards and snakes. They are vertebrates and have strong limbs but they are unable to move very fast . They use lungs to breathe , and have a tough, dry and scaly skin. They are ‘cold-blooded’, which means they can only control they body temperature by moving into cold places when hot, and warm places when cold.
Males use bright and attractive colors to attract females in the breeding season. After mating, the females choose a sheltered place, or make a simple nest, where they lay a fairly small number of eggs. These usually have a papery shell, but are otherwise very much like birds’ eggs. In most cases they are left to be hatched by they heat of the sun, but some reptiles remain near their nest, and a few kinds, such as crocodiles and some snake, look after their eggs and young. Most female reptiles live in the cooler parts of world, some of them hold their eggs inside their bodies until they are ready to hatch. They lay their eggs on dry land, and their babies are identical to parents.
Kinds of Reptiles:
There are different types of reptiles which are as follows.
• Lizards and snakes : They are the most abundant reptiles. There are almost 6000 species of this kind of reptiles. Snakes and lizards mostly feed on insects and other small animals.
• Shelled Reptiles : Shelled reptiles include tortoises and turtles. They are all armored with a bony shell. Many of them swims well and live mostly in water but they have to come on land to lay their eggs. Tortoises feed almost entirely on vegetation but some turtle species are flesh-eaters.
• Crocodiles and Alligators : They are the bulkiest of today’s reptiles, and all live in or near water, although they have to come ashore to lay their eggs. All are flesh eaters.

Crocodiles and Alligators