What is the body structure of a reptile?
What is the body structure of a reptile?
Most reptiles have a continuous external covering of epidermal scales. Reptile scales contain a unique type of keratin called beta keratin; the scales and interscalar skin also contain alpha keratin, which is a trait shared with other vertebrates. Keratin is the main component of reptilian scales.
What body plan does a snake have?
The snake-like body plan is thus characterized by two landmark changes; an extension of the primary body axis by the addition of more vertebrae and a deregionalization of the skeleton involving a reduction of the vertebral specialization along the antero-posterior axis (Fig. 1).
What are the 3 classes of Reptilia?
Reptilia, presented as a Class in our classification, includes turtles (Testudines), snakes and lizards (Lepidosauria), crocodiles and their relatives (Crocodilia), and birds (Aves), as well as a number of extinct groups.
How many reptile body types are there?
There are about 6,000 different types of reptiles.
What are 5 characteristics of reptiles?
Reptiles
- Reptiles are vertebrates. They have backbones.
- Their bodies are completely covered with scales.
- They are cold-blooded.
- Reptiles produce shelled eggs or bear live young.
- All species fertilize eggs internally.
- All species of reptiles have at least one lung.
Do snakes have 3 hearts?
Most reptiles possess three chambered hearts, with the exception of crocodilians.
How is the snakes body answer?
Answer. ☆Snakes have a pair of ribs attached to every vertebra (except for those in the tail). Together, the ribs form a cage that protects the internal organs. The lungs, liver, stomach, and other organs are long and thin, so they can fit inside the snake’s narrow body.
What are the 4 main types of reptiles?
The four main reptile groups are the Turtles and Tortoises, Snakes and Lizards, Crocodiles and Alligators, and Tuatara (a single species more primitive than other reptile groups and found only in a group of small islands near New Zealand).
What is the difference between Class Reptilia and Clade Reptilia?
A clade includes an ancestral species and all its descendants. Linnaean class Reptilia is not a clade because it does not include modern birds. Because it leaves this descendant group out, the class is paraphyletic. Clades Reptilia and Aves, however, are monophyletic and, therefore, valid clades.
What are 5 examples of reptile?
Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates covered in special skin made up of scales, bony plates, or a combination of both. They include crocodiles, snakes, lizards, turtles, and tor- toises.