What are the four types of reptiles?
1 Answer
Reptile itself is a class (Reptilia) under phylum Chordata. Living reptiles are of four types:
Turtles and Tortoises,
Snakes and Lizards,
Crocodiles and Caiman,
and Tuatara.
Explanation:
Reptiles ruled the land, water and air in Mesozoic era, but most of them became extinct about 60 million years ago. There are only four living orders:
- Rhyncocephalia
- Squamata
- Chelonia
- Crocodilia.
Rhyncocephalia includes a distant relative of lizards, named Tuatara. It is a living fossil and found only in New Zealand.
Squamata is order of lizards and snakes and is the most successful order of living reptiles.
Chelonia (often referred to as Testudines ) includes turtles and tortoises; both those living primarily in water and those living on land. Their body remains covered by hard carapace.
Crocodilia is an order of large, lizard-shaped, and predatory reptiles. It includes crocodiles, gharials, alligators and caiman.
