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DK Findout! Reptiles and Amphibians PDF

64 Pages·2021·22.07 MB·english
by  DK
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Reptiles and Amphibians Author and consultant: Chris Mattison US_001_Half_title.indd 1 31/03/2017 11:05 Contents Project editor Satu Fox Design assistant Ala Uddin Editors Radhika Haswani, Megan Weal 4 What is a reptile? Art editor Roohi Rais Senior editor Garima Sharma 6 What is an amphibian? US Editor Jenny Siklos US Senior editor Shannon Beatty Managing editors Deborah Lock, Monica Saigal 8 Ancient relatives Managing art editors Vicky Short, Neha Ahuja Chowdhry Pre-production producer Dragana Puvacic Producer Isabell Schart 10 Carnivores and herbivores Art director Martin Wilson Publisher Sarah Larter 12 Scaly skin Publishing director Sophie Mitchell Educational consultant Jacqueline Harris 14 Babies First American Edition, 2017 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 16 Temperature control Copyright © 2017 Dorling Kindersley Limited DK, a Division of Penguin Random House LLC 17 18 19 20 21 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001–299020–Sep/2017 18 Frog or toad? All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved 20 In the rain forest above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, 22 Reptiles at sea recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. 24 Turtles A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-1-4654-6310-4 K i n DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in g c bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or o educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special br Markets, 345 HudSspoenc SiatlrSeaelte, sN@edwk .Ycoormk, New York 10014 W hite’s tree fro a g Printed and bound in China All images © Dorling Kindersley Limited For further information see: www.dkimages.com A WORLD OF IDEAS: SEE ALL THERE IS TO KNOW www.dk.com The scale boxes throughout the Scale Scale book show you how big a reptile or amphibian is compared to a person who is 6 ft (1.8 m) tall or a hand that is 7 in (18 cm) high. 2 US_002-003_Contents_Reptiles.indd 2 21/04/2017 11:42 Contents 26 Inside a tortoise 48 Real-life dragons 28 Hunting habits 50 Burrowers 30 Crocodilians 52 Reptile or amphibian? 32 Desert dwellers 54 Amphibians, reptiles, and us 34 Lizards 56 Meet the expert 36 Salamanders and newts 58 Facts and figures 38 Senses 60 Glossary 40 Survival tactics 62 Index 42 Snakes 64 Acknowledgments 44 Changing colors 46 Warning! e s a lamander Fir Green sea t P a n t h e r c hameleon urtle Spectacled caiman 3 US_002-003_Contents_Reptiles.indd 3 31/03/2017 11:05 What is a reptile? There are five different groups of reptiles, and 5 REPTILE TYPES they come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Reptiles all have a backbone, they are covered 1 Lizards: 6,263 species in scales or hard armor, they are cold-blooded, 2 Snakes: 3,617 species and most of them lay eggs. A reptile’s scales 3 Turtles and tortoises: are made of the same substance that is found 346 species 4 in our fingernails! Crocodilians: 25 species 5 Tuataras: One species! nt to rtoise Heavy, domed shell a gi a r b a d Al Light, flat shell Yellow-bellie d slider ! WO W! There were Turtles, tortoises, and terrapins tortoises on Tortoises live on the land and have domed shells and Earth before stumpy legs. Turtles live in the water, have flatter the dinosaurs! shells, and feet like paddles. Turtles that live in fresh water are sometimes called terrapins. 4 US_004-005_What_is_a_reptile.indd 4 31/03/2017 11:05 Burmese python Snakes Snakes have no legs, so they move by slithering along, or climbing. Snakes never stop growing. They eat other animals and swallow their prey whole. Burmese pythons can grow up to 13 ft (4 m) long. Eurasian blindsnake Crocodilians The crocodilian family includes alligators, Saltwater crocodile crocodiles, gharials, and caimans. They are all hunters that can live in water and on land, but they are different Crocodiles have teeth that stick out sizes and shapes. over their jaws. Spectacled caiman Tuataras Lizards There is only one kind of tuatara, as By far the most common reptiles are the lizards, all its relatives became extinct 60 which live on every continent except Antarctica. million years ago. The tuatara looks This group includes chameleons, geckos, monitors, like a lizard, but can survive in much iguanas, and skinks, among others. colder temperatures and live to well WOW! over 100 years old. n’s c hameleon Flirzianrgde-toed Eyes move arso separately, so P they can look in different directions. Tuatara in a New Zealand forest 5 US_004-005_What_is_a_reptile.indd 5 31/03/2017 11:05 What is an amphibian? Amphibians evolved from fish millions of years ago. They are divided into three kinds: frogs and toads, newts and salamanders, and caecilians. They all share a few common features. m a n der a al S Backbone Amphibians are vertebrates, which means they have a backbone. Salamanders, newts, and caecilians g have tails, but frogs o Fr and toads do not. Life cycle wt Ne Most amphibians start life in the water as eggs that are covered in a kind of jelly. As they grow, most species develop limbs and lungs so that they can move and breathe on land. 6 US_006_007_What_are_amphibians.indd 6 31/03/2017 11:05 d a o T No scales An amphibian’s skin is moist and thin. This allows it to breathe through its skin, but also means that the skin dries out quickly. This means that most amphibians live in damp places. n Gills e Sir Amphibian babies breathe through gills, like fish. Some salamanders, like sirens, keep their gills their whole life, but most lose them and grow lungs, so that they g can breathe on land. o Fr Cold-blooded Amphibians’ bodies are the same temperature as their surroundings. They cannot make heat inside their bodies, so they have to warm themselves up in the sun. 7 US_006_007_What_are_amphibians.indd 7 31/03/2017 11:05 Ancient relatives Reptiles first appeared on Earth about 450 million years ago. They evolved from the first amphibians, which emerged when fish with leglike fins crawled onto land about 50 million years earlier. Some modern reptiles, such as crocodiles, look very similar to their ancient relatives. Long, narrow wings were the perfect shape for gliding. Pteranodon This spectacular flying giant spent much of its life soaring over oceans, on wings with a » Scale span of around 20 ft (6 m). Its long, toothless beak was great for scooping up small fish. » Scale Deinosuchus Partially webbed feet were useful Although not as quick on land as today’s for swimming. alligator or crocodile, Deinosuchus became a fast-moving killer in water. Its powerful jaws, lined with lots of spiky teeth, were strong enough to grab any mid-sized dinosaur grazing near the river bank. 8 US_008-009_Ancient_relatives.indd 8 31/03/2017 11:06

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