Book 32, Question 1
What do all reptiles have in common?
Snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodiles, and a lizard-like animal called the tuatara are all reptiles.
They have a backbone and dry, scaly skin. They breathe air with lungs for their whole lives, even sea turtles and sea snakes. Most reptiles lay eggs, and their body temperature changes with the weather around them. Those shared traits put them in the same big family.
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Quick answers
What do all reptiles have in common?
Reptiles are a group of vertebrate animals with dry scaly skin and hard bony skeletons.
Source: Hawaii
More fun facts
- Reptiles lay calcareous or leathery eggs enclosed in shells on land.
- All extant amphibians, lizards, turtles, snakes, and crocodilians are ectotherms.
- One of the key adaptations that permitted reptiles to live on land was the development of their scaly skin , containing the protein keratin and waxy lipids, which reduced water loss from the skin.
- Females either lay eggs, keep the eggs within their bodies until they hatch, or give birth to live young, with some form of placentation.
- Thick scaly skin offered reptiles an evolutionary advantage over amphibians for surviving on land in dry conditions.
Sources: CUNY, Hawaii, National Park Service