Animal Classification: Reptiles

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

All the pictures above show images of reptiles.

You may have noticed that they all have scaly, rough skin, unusual eyes, or unique colors.

In this lesson, learn about ways to classify animals that are reptiles.

There are four types of reptiles. Turtles, snakes, alligators and crocodiles, and lizards are all reptiles. They all have similar characteristics.

• Did you know the word reptile means creeping or crawling animal?
• Do you think reptiles creep and crawl? Why or why not?

Look at the images below.

• Have you ever seen these reptiles before?

Maybe you have a pet turtle, lizard, or snake! Perhaps you saw one of these animals in the wild or at the zoo.

• What do you notice about the animals pictured above?
• What is their skin like?

Imagine what it would feel like to touch a reptile.

• Did you say their skin has scales?

Excellent! Reptiles do not have fur or hair like mammals do. They have scales instead of fur. Their scaly skin is very dry, too!

Check out the pictures of scales below.

• Do you notice a pattern in the scales or a certain shape?

Unlike warm-blooded mammals like you and me, reptiles are cold-blooded.

This makes them much different from us in adapting to the environment's temperature. The temperature inside a reptile's body is affected by its environment.

For example, you may see a lizard or snake resting in the sunlight.

If you have a reptile as a pet, you may know they need a heat source, like a lamp or a heated rock. These are ways reptiles warm their cold body.

Reptiles must constantly regulate their body temperature to keep it between 75° and 80° Fahrenheit. When they get too cold, they bask in the sun

If, on the other hand, they get too hot, they go off into the shade or find a nearby water source for a quick dip.

• Did you know that being too cold can slow a reptile?

Think about how you feel when you're too hot or cold.

• How do you feel after playing outside in the hot sun or cold?

Fortunately, you don't have the issue of regulating your body temperature and have the added advantage of wearing weather-appropriate clothes! Imagine how those reptiles must feel!

Being at an ideal temperature allows reptiles to carry out their daily routines at the perfect pace. Take a look at all the sunbathing reptiles.

When you see a giant alligator or lizard, it's hard to imagine that it was ever a tiny baby, but it was, just like you and I once were.

However, that giant crocodile wasn't born from its mother the same way we were. It hatched from an egg.

Reptiles reproduce by laying eggs. They do not give birth to live babies like mammals do.

The eggs reptiles lay have hard shells. This helps prevent the eggs from breaking.

• Did you know sea turtles will lay over 200 eggs annually?

Look at the sea turtle eggs pictured on the right. Turtles bury their eggs in the sand to protect them from predators.

• Do you see all the eggs hidden in the sand?

Reptiles are like mammals because they are vertebrates, too! They have backbones just like mammals.

• Can you see the snake's long backbone?

Point out the backbone in the picture below.

Here is where things get a little tricky.

Reptiles have either four legs or no legs. Turtles, alligators, crocodiles, and lizards have four legs, while snakes don't have any legs at all.

Great job!

Say out loud three things you learned about reptiles before you move on to the Got It? section.