5.+Reptilia

**1. Reptiles are divided into four groups. ** **2. There are about 8,000 species of known reptiles alive today. ** **3. The first reptiles appeared approximately 340 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period. ** **5. Reptiles are cold-blooded. ** **6. Reptiles have scales.** **7. Reptiles are amniotes** -**a tetrapod that lays shelled eggs, such as reptiles and birds** **8. The Mesozoic Era is the 'Age of Reptiles'. ** **9. In many reptiles, the sex of the young is determined by the temperature the embryos are exposed to during incubation. ** **10. Some of the largest reptiles alive today include the leatherback turtle, the Komodo dragon, and the saltwater crocodile. ** timber snake  False Map turtle   __ **Glossary** __ **Jacobson's organ** - An organ for detecting odor located in the roof of the mouth. The tongue delivers the odor. The nostrils connect to the lung or lungs. **ovoviviparous** - An animal who holds the eggs inside its body until they hatch and living young are delivered. However, the embryo is sustained by the contents of the egg and not by any connection to the animal that holds it.<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> **thermoregulate** - To regulate body temperature. Most reptiles cannot produce their own body heat and must rely on external or environmental heat sources. They control their core body temperatures by moving in and out of areas with varying temperatures and humidity levels
 * __<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Ten Facts On Reptiles __**
 * 4. Reptiles are tetrapod’s** **- a vertebrate animal having four feet or legs or leglike appendages**
 * Scales help reptiles survive on land. They are an important adaptation that evolved to help reptiles. Most reptiles evolved scales for protection and so they don’t get dehydrated. **
 * Reptiles in Wisconsin **
 * Timber Rattlesnake,False Map Turtle,Stinkpot Turtle,Eastern Spiny Soft shell Turtle,Common Snapping Turtle,Midland Painted Turtle,North American Racer,Midland Painted Turtle,Western Painted Turtle **
 * Prairie Ring-necked Snake **
 * <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">[[image:http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:rBo-XS4bV97qgM:http://www.coastal.edu/cmws/images/seaturtles/lghdanatomy.gif&t=1 width="239" height="211"]]External Enatomy **

__**<span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif';">Did you Know? **__ []
 * <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1. There are more than 8,000 species of reptiles on the planet; they live everywhere except on Antarctica **
 * <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">2. 2/3 of snakes are not venomous, less than 2 percent of all snakes are harm full to humans ****<span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">, <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">More Americans die from bee stings then from snake bites each year **
 * <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">3. Some large Tortoises live to 150 years old; Alligators live 70 year, Ball pythons live up to 40 years old **
 * <span style="color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">4. Reptiles are the oldest type of animal on the planet. Turtles have been on the planet for more than 200 million years. **
 * 5. Many states such as Georgia and Texas still engage in "rattlesnake roundups," in which rattlesnakes are gathered from the wild and slaughtered by the hundreds.**
 * 6. <span style="color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;"> Most snake species lay eggs. About one-fifth of all snakes bear live young instead such as Rattlesnakes and boa constrictors. **
 * <span style="color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">7. When attacked the gecko will wiggle its tail to lure the attacking creature. When the animal bites onto the tail, the gecko can detach the tail and make its escape it will then grow a new tail in place of the old one. **
 * <span style="color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">8. King Cobras can grow to lengths of more than 18 feet (6 meters) can weigh in excess of 20 pounds//.// **
 * <span style="background: white; color: #595959; font-family: 'Tahoma','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 135%; margin: 11.25pt 0in 7.5pt;">9. A young snake will shed more often because they typically grow fastest during the first two years of their lives. An older snake will shed less often as its rate of growth slows down. **
 * 10. Chameleons do not change their color to blend in with different backgrounds. The fact is that chameleons can only change their color by brightening or darkening their skin. There color changes are related to temperature and emotional changes. For example, A frightened or angry chameleon will become extremely bright in color. **