The first reptiles appeared on Earth long before appearance of the first person – 320 million years ago. Then their blossoming began. Domination of reptiles of animals reached inconceivable scales, making these beings the individual lords of the whole world!
Instruction
1. Turtles and lizards, crocodiles and snakes and also dinosaurs who long ago died out represent one class of animals - reptiles. Often they are called reptiles as quite so in Latin the name of this group of living beings sounds. By estimates of scientists, the first reptiles originate 320 million years ago. High level of their organization allowed these beings to suppress invertebrate animals, small mammals and own relatives without special work. Then rough blossoming of this class of animals began: the era of dinosaurs started.
2. Now you will not meet dinosaurs any more and the time of blossoming of other reptiles of animals ended for a long time. But, despite this, recent reptiles still remain one of the brightest and interesting groups of the beings inhabiting the planet Earth. Now scientists contain about 7000 species of reptiles worldwide. Among them there are also land reptiles (lizards, the majority of snakes, overland turtles), and inhabitants of the underwater kingdom (water dragons, crocodiles, sea turtles). And there are also such beings who constantly lives on trees, and is even able to make the planning flights (some lizards).
3. Representatives of a class of reptiles of animals are cold blooded vertebral beings whose body is in whole or in part covered with scales, horn plates or guards. For this reason reptiles sometimes call the animals chained in leather "armor". But the main distinctive sign of reptiles is their way of movement on the ground. The majority of these beings moves crawling: their trunk touches directly the earth (from here and the name "reptiles"), but there are also natatorial, and even types planning by air. All reptiles are conditionally divided into four groups: crocodiles, turtles, snakes and lizards.
4. It is curious that in some deserts and tropical forests of a reptile in general are the most numerous and diverse group of vertebrate animals. There are no reptiles only in one place: where eternal cold, i.e. reigns in Antarctica, in the Arctic and at tops Besides, does not belong to one class of animal people is as contradictory, as to reptiles. The fact is that a large number of any given prejudices and legends is connected with these creations: reptiles both love, and hate at the same time; they can impetuously be worshipped, and can and exterminate ruthlessly; they horrify some people, but cause burning curiosity in others.