Reptiles
Everywhere you look, there is a reptile. From small lizards
to the monstrous Dinosaurs that roamed the earth millions
of years ago, you will see a reptile. They are one of
the six basic groups of animals and are categorized in
the class of "Reptilia."
Reptiles are characterized as breathing air, having scales
or scutes as skin and laying shelled eggs when birthing.
However, some reptiles do not lay eggs and can give live
birth such as some viper and constrictor snakes. They
are cold-blooded creatures which means you won't see them
in places like Antarctica because it's just too cold.
However, reptiles thrive in the deserts of the world.
Reptiles are also characterized as tetrapod's, this means
they either have four limbs or they descended from a four-legged
ancestor. Reptiles are closer to amphibians more than
any other animals but unlike amphibians, reptiles do not
have an aquatic larval stage. This is the stage that tadpoles
go through as they become a frog. Reptiles are a great
species to study, which is referred to as Herpetology.
Reptiles originated over 300 million years ago, and the
first reptile was recorded during the Carboniferous period.
However, it was the Mesozoic Era that became known as
the "Age of the Reptiles." However, the Cretaceous
Era (extinction period) wiped out all the dinosaurs and
most reptiles, except for some underwater animals like
sea turtles and some small feathered tetrapod's in the
form of birds. At this point, the "Age of Mammals"
had started.
