- There are about 250 species of turtles, 25 species of crocodilians, 5,500 species of snakes, 3,000 species of lizards, 130 species of amphibians, and 2 species of rhynchocephalians.
- Reptiles are cold-blooded. However, scientists use different terms. They use “ectothermic” for “cold-blooded” and “endothermic” for “warm-blooded.”
- Most reptiles are carnivores, and eat whole prey or insects. Some reptiles (adult green iguanas, for example), are herbivores and eat green plants.
- Turtles can recognize faces and can do tricks.
- There has actually been documented cases of frog showers during heavy summer rainstorms. Fish have also been reported to rain from the sky.
- A gathering of frogs is called an army.
- Frogs can throw up in space by inverting their stomachs, cleaning it with their hands, and reswallowing it.
- The age of reptiles was ended by a meteor. Only 4% of species survived to repopulate the world.
- The crocodiles are of the oldest living reptiles. Some grow to in excess of 16 feet and can weigh over a ton.
- Largest Crocodile….. There are four protected estuarine crocodiles in a wildlife sanctuary in India that measure over 19 feet 8 inches. The largest of the four is 23 feet long!
- Smallest Crocodile….. The smallest species of crocodile is the dwarf caiman of South America. Females rarely grow beyond 4 feet and males rarely exceed 5 feet.
- The worlds longest snake was a reticulated python that was 32 feet 9 1/2 inches long.
- The heaviest snake on record is an Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) that was shot in Brazil in 1960. She was never officially weighed but scientist estimate that her 27 feet 9 inch length and her 44 inch girth must have put her over 500lbs!
- The king cobra is the longest venomous snake in the world. The longest specimen ever was kept at the London Zoo and measured 18 feet and 9 inches. Zookeepers killed it in 1939 due to the outbreak of war. They feared it would escape the zoo and pose a threat to the citizens of London.
- The worlds most venomous snake is the species of sea snake Hydrophis belcheri. It has a myotoxic venom that is 100 times more powerful than any land snake.
- The snake that is responsible for the most deaths of humans is the saw-scaled or carpet viper. It resides from West Africa to India.
- The worlds fastest reptile (measured on land) is the spiny-tailed iguana of Costa Rica. It has been clocked at 21.7 mph!
- The worlds largest lizard is the adult male komodo dragon found on the islands of Indonesia. The largest ever recorded was 10 feet 2 inches long and weighed 365 lbs! These lizards can eat animals as large as goats. They cannot chew so they must rip huge chunks of flesh off of their prey and swallow it whole.
- The smallest lizard in the world is the rare, tiny gecko of the Virgin Islands. Only 15 specimens have ever been found. They measure 0.70 inches from snout to vent (nose to butt).