What is a Reptile?
Definition: a vertebrate that has dry, scaly skin, lungs, and terrestrial eggs with several membranes
Definition: a vertebrate that has dry, scaly skin, lungs, and terrestrial eggs with several membranes
Body Plan:
Well-developed lungs; a double-loop circulatory system; a water-conserving excretory system; strong limbs; internal fertilization; and shelled, terrestrial eggs are the other adaptations that have contributed to the success of reptiles on land. Feeding: Reptiles eat a wide range of foods. This class includes herbivores and carnivores. Circulation: They have an efficient double-loop circulatory system. Their hearts contain two atria and either one or two ventricles. Most reptiles have a single ventricle with a partial septum, or wall, that helps separate oxygen. Respiration: The lungs of reptiles are spongy, providing more gas-exchange area than those of amphibians. They have muscles around their ribs that expand the chest cavity to inhale and collapse the cavity to force air out. |
Excretion:
Urine is produced in the kidneys. In some reptiles, urine flows through tubes directly into a cloaca similar to that of amphibians. In others, a urinary bladder stores urine before it is expelled from the cloaca. Response: The basic pattern of a reptile's brain is similar to that of an amphibian, although the cerebrum and cerebellum are considerably larger compared to the rest of the brain. They have well-developed nervous systems and sensory systems. Reproduction: Fertilized internally. Most are oviparous. |