Reptiles
reptiles
Reptiles are so-called cold-blooded animals. This does not mean that their blood is really cold, but that they cannot maintain their body temperature like mammals. Instead they depend on their surroundings to raise their temperature and they do this by basking in warm, sunny places.
Their bodies are covered by scales, instead of fur or feathers, to protect them from injury. Reptile skins are not stretchy like mammal skins and do not grow with their owner. So reptiles shed their skins a few times a year, allowing the old tight skin to be replaced by a newer and slightly bigger one. This is called sloughing.
In northern countries like England they cannot get enough warmth to stay active through the winter and so they spend the cold months in hibernation.
Reptiles have various methods of self-defence. Some, like the Adder, are venomous (the strength of the venom depends on the reptile and its prey); others depend on speed or camouflage to avoid danger. Lizards drop their tails, called tail shedding, to distract predators while they escape.
Reptiles often use their tongues to find prey, flicking them in and out to pick up scent particles in the air. Many reptiles have good eyesight and hearing, although snakes use the delicate bones and nerves in their jaws, resting on the ground, to pick up vibration and ‘hear’ that way.
reptiles