REPTILES & AMPHIBIANS

REPTILES

Cold blooded vertebrates. This means they cannot maintain a body temperature much different than their environment.Most reptiles lay eggs with hard shells. Young fully formed reptiles hatch from the eggs. Reptiles usually lay their eggs in sand.Some snakes and lizards retain their eggs in their body and give birth to live young.Young reptiles have to care for themselves from the time they hatch.A reptile's skin is usually covered with scales.Reptiles have been on earth for over 300 million years - that is a very long time!

AMPHIBIANS

Cold blooded vertebrate animals that generally spend their larval or tadpole stage in fresh water. They do not transfer to the land until they are mature, returning to the water to breed.Amphibians were the first animals to venture on to land. They emerged from the oceans over 300 million years ago. Frogs, toads and salamanders are amphibians.