All the most interesting things in one magazine. Chameleons

Biologists of the 17th-19th centuries. classified amphibians and reptiles into one group, which they called “reptiles.”

Approximately 9,400 species of reptiles walk and crawl on the Earth. On Russian territory There are only 77 of them.

About similarities

• Many reptiles combine several animal traits: the simplest amphibians and more developed vertebrates.
• were the largest creatures that ever lived on planet Earth. Despite the fact that they belonged to reptiles, birds became descendants of lizards.

• No animal is as similar to birds as reptiles.
• Dinosaurs appeared on earth later than turtles.

About the senses, vision and coloring

• Most cold-blooded animals have a third eye, hidden under a thin layer of skin. It is used to determine the brightness sunlight, power lines of the earth magnetic field and spatial orientation occurs. Maybe it's not full list abilities of the “extra” eye, but this has not yet been established.

• Instead of eyelids, many lizards and snakes have a transparent membrane.
• It is known that chameleons are capable of changing color and becoming covered with spots or stripes. Until recently, this feature was considered a way of protection from, but recently scientists have found out that animals, first of all, communicate this way.

• The world of reptiles that are awake during the day is yellow-orange.
• Snakes do not have eardrums, so they practically cannot hear. Instead of sounds, they focus on earth or water vibrations.

• Turtles perfectly feel the lightest touches on their shells.
• About 40 thousand years ago, Australia was inhabited by crocodiles that never entered water bodies. They were land-based.

Body, size, perception of sounds

• The most massive snake on the planet is the anaconda. It can be up to 7 m long and weigh from 30 to 70 kg. The snake with the maximum length is the 7.5-meter reticulated python.

• The sounds made by most reptiles resemble whistling or hissing.
• The chameleon's tongue sometimes grows up to 0.5 m in length.

• Crocodiles tear their prey into pieces, swallowing them without chewing, since they do not know how to do this. They even have a special tooth in their mouth that helps dismember prey.
• Alligator teeth grow throughout their lives. Instead of broken and fallen ones, over 3000 pieces grow.

About the family

• Reptiles are cold-blooded creatures, but there are Tegu lizards that experience chemical reaction, increasing body temperature for greater attractiveness.

• The sex of the embryos depends on the place in which the eggs were laid, or rather, its temperature.
• Reptiles, for the most part, are not caring parents. Having laid their eggs, they do not care about them, counting on the fact that newborn babies will show miracles of independence. Only turtles became an exception to this rule.

• Reptiles, or reptiles (Reptilia) - predominantly terrestrial vertebrates, including modern, beaked, amphisbaen, and. Together with amphibians in the XVIII - 19th centuries reptiles were united into a group - cold-blooded terrestrial vertebrates.

• Reptiles occupy an intermediate position in terms of organization between amphibians (), on the one hand, and mammals, on the other.

• Reptiles are in many respects more similar to birds than to or mammals.

• There are about 9,400 species of reptiles known in the world.

• 74 species of reptiles live in Russia.

• Reptiles flourished during the Mesozoic era, when they dominated the sea, land and air.

• Most reptiles went extinct millions of years ago - at the end of the Cretaceous period.

• Modern reptiles are only scattered remnants of that world.

• Reptiles are the first true land animals.

• Unlike larvae, in which the larvae breathe with gills and usually live in water (in some, the gills remain throughout their lives), reptiles breathe only with their lungs.

• Due to the presence of a shell, turtles have immobile ribs, so they have developed a different method of ventilation than other reptiles. Turtles force air into their lungs by swallowing it or pumping movements of their front legs.

• Like amphibians, reptiles are cold-blooded, i.e. their body temperature depends on environmental conditions. But reptiles have learned to partially control it by hiding from hypothermia or overheating. For example, hibernation allows you to avoid the cold, and night activity avoids the heat of the day.

• All reptiles have tough, dry skin covered with scales. Its main function is to protect the body from drying out.

• Such tough skin interferes with growth. Therefore, almost all reptiles are characterized by molting. Snakes and lizards shed their skin quite often. This is not typical for crocodiles. Their skin can grow along with their body.

• The largest living lizard is.

• Reptiles lay large eggs covered with a dense shell.

• The muscular system of reptiles is better developed than that of amphibians.

• Many reptiles live in very dry places, so maintaining water in their bodies is extremely important to them. They lose almost as much moisture through their skin as birds and mammals. In mammals high frequency breathing leads to large evaporation from the surface of the lungs, while in reptiles the respiratory rate is much lower, and accordingly, water loss through the lung tissue is minimal.

• There are reptiles that need absolutely clean water. These are caimans - representatives of the Crocodile order. For this reason, their distribution area is quite small.

• Of all reptiles, they spend the most time in the water, coming onto land only to lay eggs or bask.

• Reptiles are found throughout the world, but are especially numerous in warm areas and are practically absent in cold areas outside the distribution of woody vegetation.

• The most highly organized of reptiles are crocodiles.

• Crocodiles are among the largest modern reptiles.

• Typically, reptiles have widely spaced limbs. Crocodiles are the only reptile to move their legs under their body when moving quickly, and when running they go into a gallop; some species are capable of reaching speeds of up to 17 km/h.

• The crocodile opens its mouth to cool, and the water evaporates from it; At the same time, the small ones peck stuck pieces of meat and leeches from the crocodile’s mouth.

• Diurnal lizards have color vision. This is very rare in the animal world.

• Many species of lizards, escaping from an enemy, are capable of throwing off part of their tail (autotomy).

• In the dark, the eyes of large individuals glow red, while those of small individuals glow green.

• The only place on Earth where alligators and crocodiles coexist is Florida.

• Mississippi alligators are capable of changing the surrounding landscape. Sometimes they live in a swamp. To have plenty of standing water, alligators in swamps dig ponds by loosening and scattering the soil with their hind legs and blows of their tails. They constantly clean the ponds in which they live from thick mud and excess vegetation, pushing it out and carrying it to the shore. Willows grow along the banks of ponds dug by alligators. Tree roots bind the soil, forming islands of land among the swamps.

Reptiles today are not as diverse and successful a class of vertebrates as they were 100 or 200 million years ago, but many people are terrified by their sharp teeth, forked tongues and scaly skin. This article examines 10 of the most interesting facts about reptiles, from reproduction to shedding their skin.

1. Reptiles evolved from amphibians

If you trace the entire evolutionary chain, the first vertebrate fish evolved into tetrapods (quadrupeds), tetrapods developed into amphibians (amphibians), and they in turn evolved into reptiles. All these events occurred between 400 and 300 million years ago. And that's not the end of the story: about 200 million years ago, reptiles evolved into therapsids (beast-like reptiles), which later became mammals, and another 50 million years later, carnivorous dinosaurs evolved into birds.

Perhaps all of the above evolutionary metamorphoses explain the relative scarcity of reptiles today, since their more developed descendants (mammals and birds) have no competition in various ecological niches.

2. There are 4 main orders of reptiles

All living reptiles can be divided into 4 groups:

1) turtles, which are characterized by a slow metabolism and hard protective shells (shell);

2) squamate, including snakes, lizards and amphisbaenus;

3) crocodiles, which are the closest living relatives of modern birds and extinct dinosaurs;

4) beak-headed - strange creatures, found only on a few outlying islands of New Zealand.

The pterosaurs that once ruled the skies and the marine reptiles that dominated the oceans went extinct along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

3. All reptiles are cold-blooded

One of the main features that distinguishes reptiles from mammals and birds is that they are cold-blooded, and their internal physiological processes depend on weather conditions environment. Snakes and crocodiles literally "fuel" by basking in the sun during the day, and become lethargic at night when there are no energy sources available.

The advantage of a cold-blooded metabolism is that reptiles require much less food than birds and mammals of comparable size. The disadvantage is the inability to maintain stably high level activity.

4. Reptiles have scaly skin

The rough, scaly skin of reptiles makes many people uncomfortable, but the fact is that it represents an important evolutionary leap: thanks to this protective layer, vertebrates were able to move away from bodies of water without the risk of drying out. During the process of growth, some reptiles, such as snakes, shed their entire skin, while others do so a few scales at a time.

5. Very few reptiles are herbivores

For Mesozoic era, some of the most large reptiles on Earth were herbivores, like Triceratops and Diplodocus. Today, surprisingly, the only herbivorous reptiles are turtles and iguanas (both reptiles are only distantly related to their dinosaur ancestors), while crocodiles, snakes, lizards and tuataras feed on vertebrates and invertebrates. Some marine reptiles (such as saltwater crocodiles) can swallow rocks, which weigh down their bodies and act as ballast.

6. Most reptiles have a three-chambered heart

The heart of snakes, lizards, and turtles has three chambers, which is an advantage compared to the two-chambered heart of fish and amphibians, but in comparison with the four-chambered heart of birds and mammals there is a significant disadvantage. The problem is that the three-chambered heart allows oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mix, which is a relatively inefficient way to transfer oxygen to the body's tissues.

Most closely related to birds, crocodiles have a four-chambered heart, which supposedly gives them a much-needed advantage when hunting.

7. Reptiles are far from the smartest animals on the planet.

With a few exceptions, reptiles are as intelligent as one would expect: more advanced than fish and amphibians, almost on par with birds in intelligence, but noticeably inferior to average-sized mammals. Reptiles' brains are about one-tenth the size of the rest of their body, which is common in rats, cats and hedgehogs.

The exception here is, again, crocodiles, which have basic social skills and are at least smart enough to survive, which is not the case with their extinct dinosaur cousins.

8. Reptiles became the world's first amniotes

The emergence of amniotes - vertebrates that lay eggs on land or carry embryos in the body of a female - became important transition period in the evolution of life on Earth. Amphibians that preceded reptiles had to lay their eggs in water and thus could not venture inland to populate continents. In this regard, reptiles occupy an intermediate stage between fish with amphibians (which were once referred to by naturalists as "lower vertebrates"), and birds with mammals ("higher vertebrates," with a more developed reproductive system).

9. In some reptiles, sex is determined by temperature

As far as is known, reptiles are the only vertebrates in which temperature determines sex: the temperature of the environment outside the egg, during embryonic development, can influence the sex of the hatchling. No one knows for sure how some species may benefit from the presence more representatives of a certain sex at some stages of their life cycle.

10. Reptiles can be classified by the openings in their skulls

This is not often used when working with living species, but the evolution of reptiles can be understood by the number of holes, or “windows,” in their skulls. Turtles are anapsid reptiles, without any openings; the pelycosaurs and therapsids of the later Paleozoic were synapsids, with a single opening; and all other reptiles, including dinosaurs, pterosaurs and marine reptiles, are diapsids, with two openings.

By the way, the number of "windows" gives important information about the evolution of mammals that share the basic characteristics of their skulls with ancient therapsids.

No animal can change colors this way and look in two directions at once, so the chameleon is definitely worth learning more about. It is clear to the naked eye that the chameleon is one of the most beautiful and unusual reptiles on the planet. Here are ten interesting facts that you might not know.

1. Almost half of the world's chameleon species live on the island of Madagascar, with 59 different species that do not exist anywhere outside the island. There are approximately 160 species of chameleon. They are distributed from Africa to southern Europe, from south asia to Sri Lanka. They have also been introduced into the United States in places such as Hawaii, California and Florida. We have already written about the smallest chameleon in the world, which lives in Madagascar.

2. Read more about color change. Most chameleons change color from brown to green and back, but some can take on almost any color. In just 20 seconds, repainting can occur. Chameleons are born with special cells that have color or pigment in them. These cells are found in the layers beneath the chameleon's outer shell. They are called chromatophores. U upper layers Chromatophores are red or yellow pigments. The lower layers have blue or white pigment. When these pigment cells change, changes in the chameleon's skin color occur.

Chromatophores change because they receive a message from the brain. The message tells the cells to expand or shrink. These actions cause the cell's pigments to mix - just like paint. Melanin also helps chameleons change color. Melanin fibers can spread like spider webs through layers of cells, and their presence causes the skin to darken.


Many people think that the color of chameleons blends in with their environment. Scientists do not agree with this. Their research shows that light, temperature and mood cause chameleons to change. Sometimes a change in color can make a chameleon appear calmer. Sometimes this helps the reptile communicate with other chameleons.

3. A chameleon's eyes have a 360-degree view and can see in two directions at once. Chameleons have the most special eyes of any reptile. They can rotate and focus separately to observe two different objects at the same time, allowing their eyes to move independently of each other.


This gives them a full 360 degree arc of vision around their body. When prey is located, both eyes can be focused in the same direction, providing acute stereoscopic vision and depth perception. Chameleons have very good eyesight for reptiles, allows them to see small insects at a long distance (5-10 m).

4. Chameleons vary greatly in size and body structure from maximum length, varying from 15 millimeters in males of Brookesia micra (one of the smallest reptiles in the world) to 68.5 centimeters in males of Furcifer oustaleti.

5. A chameleon's tongue can be 1.5-2 times the length of their body. They can shoot their tongue out of their mouth to capture prey. It was recently discovered that smaller chameleons have proportionally larger tongues than larger ones. The tongue is thrown with extremely high efficiency, reaching prey in just 0.07 seconds.

6. Chameleons' feet are extremely adapted to movement in trees. There are five clearly visible toes on each foot, giving each foot a pincer-like effect. Each toe is also equipped with a sharp claw to help hold onto surfaces tightly when climbing.

7. Males are usually much brighter. Many have decorations on the head or face, others may have large combs on top.

8. Chameleons don't hear very well. Like snakes, chameleons do not have an outer or middle ear, and thus do not have an eardrum. However, chameleons are not deaf. They can pick up sound frequencies in the range of 200-600 Hz.

9. Chameleons see in both normal and ultraviolet light. Chameleons subjected to ultraviolet light, show greater activity and are more prone to hunting.

10. The American chameleon is not actually a chameleon. Anolis carolinensis is not a true chameleon, but a small lizard of the iguana family.

Continue reading also about the most beautiful geckos in a separate collection dedicated to reptiles.

Reptile facts

Snakes, alligators, and lizards have something in common. They all reptiles. And yes, for some people they might send shivers down the spine at the mere mention. Reptiles are one of oldest species animals on earth. Read on to find out some facts about them.