Slither with reptiles

Today we like to introduce you to a group of animals found in abundance in our country and most other tropical countries in the world too. They are none other than reptiles which comprise most of the slithering creatures many of us are generally afraid of. How many of you are really scared of snakes, chameleons or crocodiles? Perhaps most of you are. Not only children but also most adults are afraid of these creatures even though some of these animals are really harmless. So, let's check out on this particular group of animals to see if we are familiar with any of them.

What exactly is a reptile? Well, it is an animal that is cold blooded and breathes air just like you and me. They are called vertebrates. Reptiles can be as small as your little finger or many times as big as you are. A reptile could be brightly coloured like a beautiful butterfly or be a dull shade of grey or brown and not so pleasant to look at like a colourful bird., Some reptiles have hard, wrinkled or scaled skin and look fearsome too .And it is certainly not just their appearance that makes many of us afraid of these reptiles; it is also their reputation of being venomous and dangerous.

You may be surprised to learn that there are about 6,000 different kinds of reptiles that can be divided into groups that include 20 crocodiles and alligators, 600 tortoises, terrapins and turtles, 2,500 lizards and a similar number of snakes. There is something more interesting; one group of reptile has only just one species. It is a living fossil which is called the tuatara.

Now, why do you think these reptiles are mostly found in countries with a warm climate? It is because of the fact that reptiles are cold- blooded animals. If you are confused as to what this means let us explain. Cold-blooded means that an animal does not have a thermostat inside its brain like we humans do to keep its body at the same temperature all the time. So, cold-blooded animals like reptiles need the sunlight to heat up their body.

This is why there are no reptiles living in the North Pole. However, there are exceptions to the rule and several kinds of reptiles such as the adder are found in the Arctic Circle where the weather is extremely cold for most part of the year. Although reptiles are cold blooded their body temperature can soar to a level that would kill any mammal should it rise so high.

As a result a reptile can be comfortably active in heat which would be most uncomfortable for us. However, in the hottest places of the Earth even reptiles find it difficult to move about and generally hide underground during daytime and come out only in the night when the temperature is cool. Reptiles make their homes in all kinds of places such as deserts, forests, plains and water including oceans.

A few reptiles like lizards and geckos make their home in houses that belong to humans. Some humans welcome these small reptiles into their homes because they eat insects. But what do reptiles eat?

The menu depends on the type of reptile species and can include fish, worms, insects, jellyfish, antelopes and many kinds of plants; even cacti. Most reptiles are selective when it comes to their food and would stick to one main kind of food. For instance, a meat-eating reptile would not go chomping on some juicy plant no matter how hungry it is.

The biggest eaters are the crocodiles because naturally they are the largest group of reptiles. We know that humans are a part of their diet. So, beware of these man-eaters if ever you come across them anywhere!

How do reptiles find their food? We know that they do not go shopping for their food but they certainly go hunting for it. Some reptiles use their eyes to spot moving prey while others use their sense of smell, which in most animals is said to be better than that of bloodhounds, to locate their prey.

Most reptiles use their heads and teeth to catch their prey but they do not hold onto the prey with their claws .Once they catch their prey the flesh eating reptiles generally swallow their meal whole or in very large chunks while the plant eating reptiles cut their food using their sharp teeth or powerful jaws instead of chewing it.

We know that reptiles can be found in most parts of our country, especially snakes such as Rat snakes (garandiyas) that are generally not considered dangerous and are known to prey upon rats and mice which are usually a nuisance to many of us and a wide variety of venomous such as cobras and vipers.

There are also a large number of crocodiles (not alligators), tortoises and turtles too found in our country along with many other types of reptiles. You may think that they began to live in this planet at the same time an we did but it is not so. Did you know that the oldest known fossils of reptiles date back to about 280 million years? According to Palaeontologists (those who study fossils) they were a very small species of lizard-like creatures.

We are not likely to see any of these old time reptiles crawling about today but most of the reptiles that do exist now are similar to those that lived in the distant past. .Reptiles may seem like a group of animals that are not so pleasant to focus much attention on, but they are really fascinating creatures in their own way. So, do find out how most of these creatures spend their life along side us and what special traits different species have. We will bring you more information on some of the types of reptiles in our future issues. Pix: Internet

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[Fact file]

* Most reptiles are not noisy animals but they do hiss, grunt or make barking calls especially at night. Did you know that crocodiles are the noisiest animals? They can roar like lions.

* The world's smallest reptile is the dwarf gecko which lives in the West Indies. It is less than six centimetres or two inches long when fully grown and over half of this length is its tail. The world's biggest reptile is the reticulated python which often measures over 6.1 m (18feet).The heaviest reptile is the saltwater crocodile.

* Many keep various types of reptiles as pets .It is said that some kinds of pet lizards can recognise their owners by voice and appearance. Amazing, isn't it?

* Reptiles have a long lifespan and as a rule are known to live longer than mammals or birds of a similar size .Some big crocodiles and tortoises live very long sometimes even to celebrate their 200th birthday!

* The biggest reptiles such as the crocodiles, the leathery turtles and the largest snakes live near water .The larger land reptiles such as the Komodo dragon and the giant Galapagos tortoises live in tiny islands.

* Reptiles that eat large meals do not need to eat often. For instance, a crocodile that has eaten a huge meal may not need food for another two months. Very big snakes and crocodiles are known to go without food for an year or more sometimes.

* Many reptiles especially the lizards can change colour and they do so for many reasons. They change colour for camouflage, when they are angry or frightened and in courtship.

* All reptiles hatch out of eggs but some reptiles hatch inside the mother's body.

* Most reptile mothers do not look after their young.

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