Knowra Reptile Reptile A vertebrate in the traditional group Reptilia, including turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodilians. Reptiles are amniotes with scales or scutes and typically rely on external heat sources.
Amniote : A vertebrate whose embryo develops within an amnion, either in an egg or inside the parent. Reptiles belong to this broader lineage, which also includes mammals.
Ecdysis : The periodic shedding of an animal's outer layer, including the skin of reptiles and arthropods. Reptiles shed skin as they grow; snakes often shed it in one continuous piece.
Turtle : A reptile in the order Testudines, characterized by a shell formed from modified bones. Turtles are the clearest example of a reptile body plan transformed by a protective shell.
Sauropsida : The amniote lineage containing reptiles and birds, distinct from the lineage leading to mammals. This broader evolutionary group includes birds, which traditional Reptilia excludes.
Ectothermy : A thermal strategy in which body temperature depends largely on heat exchanged with the environment. Many reptiles regulate body temperature behaviorally rather than producing enough metabolic heat to stay warm.
Thermoregulation : The regulation of an organism's body temperature through physiological or behavioral processes. Basking, seeking shade, and changing posture let many reptiles control body temperature.
Lizard : A diverse group of reptiles, generally with four limbs, movable eyelids, and external ear openings. Lizards include the familiar small-bodied forms as well as legless lineages.
Diapsid : An amniote lineage ancestrally characterized by two openings behind each eye socket in the skull. Most living reptiles, including birds, descend from diapsid ancestors.
Keratin : A family of structural proteins that forms hair, nails, claws, feathers, and much of the outer skin. Keratin forms the scales, scutes, claws, and other protective structures found across reptiles.
Oviparity : Reproduction in which embryos develop in eggs laid outside the parent's body. Many reptiles lay shelled eggs, although some species give birth to live young.
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