Class Reptilia (Reptiles)

Tuatara (Sphenodon)
Source: Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia

Please do not plagiarize. If you would like to use this information in a print or electronic publication, please ask me for permission first and cite this page as:
Knapp, Robbin D. 1997. "Class Reptilia (Reptiles)". In Robb's Online Multimedia Database of Animals and Plants. Oct. 19, 1997.

Some Orders of the Class Reptilia (Reptiles)

1. Ichthyosauria extinct: "fish lizards", large marine reptiles that had fishlike bodies and paddlelike limbs
2. Sauropterygia extinct: "lizard-winged", long-necked aquatic reptiles that had paddle-shaped limbs adapted for moving through water
3. Saurischia extinct: "lizard-hipped" dinosaurs
4. Ornithiscia extinct: "bird-hipped" dinosaurs
5. Pterosauria extinct: "winged lizards", flying reptiles related to dinosaurs
6. Therapsida extinct: advanced mammal-like reptiles
7. Squamata: the largest order of living reptiles, containing more than 5000 species of lizards and snakes, sometimes considered a subclass
   Suborders:
   • Lacertilia: lizards (2500 species)
   • Serpentes: snakes (about 2500 species)
8. Chelonia (Testudines, Testudinata): already differentiated from other reptiles in the Triassic period, today comprising the turtles and tortoises (nearly 250 species), sometimes considered the subclass Testudinata
   Suborders (sometimes considered orders):
   • Amphichelydia: extinct
   • Cryptodira: pull their heads into the shell in an s-shaped curve of the neck
   • Pleurodira: side-necked turtles, freshwater species that hide their heads by bending the neck sideways
9. Crocodilia (Crocodilians): first evolved in the late Triassic period, the closest living relatives of dinosaurs and birds, the crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gavials (22 species)
10. Rhynchocephalia (beakheads): lizardlike reptiles which are differentiated from the lizards by osteological characteristics (differences in the bones) (2 species)

King Philip Chews on funny ginger snaps.

• Aichele, Schwegler, Zahradnik & Cihar. 1985. Goldener Kosmos-Tier- und Pflanzenführer. Frankh: Stuttgart. 779 pp.
• Blum, Joachim. 1978. Die Reptilien and Amphibien Europas. Hallwag: Bern. 64 pp.
• Fisher, G. Clyde (Ed.). 1927. The One Volume Nature Encyclopedia. W W Norton: New York. 940 pp.
• Microsoft Corporation. 1996. Microsoft® Encarta® 96 Encyclopedia.
• Wilson, Pamala. 1994. "Sea Turtle". Sea World.