[Biology Class Notes] on Reptilia Pdf for Exam

Class Reptilia, animals of which class are called Reptiles, are some of the important vertebrates on the planet Earth, and hence it is important for the students of biology to learn about them. If we think carefully, the creatures from the class Reptilia, are a few of those creatures many of whom can live on the land and under the water. And also, a few of the members from the class Reptilia can be found in the common household as well, such as lizards.

Therefore, it is necessary for the students of biology to learn about the class Reptilia, not only from the perspective of the exam but also from the perspective of biological curiosity. But there is also one more important thing, and that is students need to have an explanation that is easy to comprehend and understand, otherwise you may not be able to understand the topic of Reptilia, its characteristics and types.

Hence, provides to the students of Biology the complete Explanation of Reptilia along with its Characteristics, Classification. And it is prepared by the expert educators in such a manner that it becomes extremely easy for the students to understand it, and hence to grasp the same topic as well.

An Overview of the Class Reptilia.

The animals of the class Reptilia are commonly called reptiles. An interesting thing about reptiles is that many scientists and researchers believe that they were the first ones to adopt life on the earth. Scientists also believe that the ancestors of the reptiles were amphibians, and about millions of years ago, the Reptiles evolved from there.

Turtles, Crocodilians, and Squamates, that is to say, lizards and snakes, are the three major groups of Class Reptilia. There are a total of 8000 known species of these groups collectively. Out of these 8000 species, 9 percent of species are associated with inland water, which consists of turtles, crocodilians, snakes, and lizards. A diverse suite of physiological as well as morphological adaptations has been developed by those species of reptiles which associated themselves with the freshwater habitats.

General Characteristics of Reptilia.

There are many characteristics of Reptilia, some of which are discussed below:

• Most of the Reptilia possess a continuous external epidermal covering of scale, which is a small plate or shield that forms a part of the outer layer of the skin in some animals, and it provides them with protection against the environment.

• Keratin is the type of protein, and one type of such Keratin which is called Beta keratin is present in the scales of the Reptilia, while there is another type of unique keratin which is called Alpha Keratin, and it is present in the interscalar skin of the Reptilia.

• The body of the Reptilians is divided into four parts, which are head, neck, trunk, and tail.

• Except for the Crocodiles, which have 4 chambered hearts, all the other Reptilia have 3 chambered hearts.