Looking At Reptiles (1964)

about 150 million years ago the most conspicuous animals on Earth were reptils dinosaurs were reptils dinosaurs and most of the other primitive reptils vanished from the earth because their bodies and ways of living were not suited to a changing world today there are but few survivors one of these the twoa is The Only Living member of a group of reptiles that lived long before the dinosaurs the tuera can be found on only a few small islands off the coast of New Zealand there its last remaining Representatives about 10,000 in number are protected by law the four other kinds of living reptils are the crocodilians the turtles the snakes and the lizards although they do not look alike reptils are alike in five important ways some of these ways they share with other animals reptils have backbones they are cold blooded their bodies are covered by scales they breathe air with lungs and except for a few lizards and snakes they lay shelled eggs on land before animals began to lay eggs on land the amphibian ancestors of reptils had to lay their eggs in water and frogs do today in this way they could develop without drying out shelled eggs contain their own Pond of water and food for the developing embryo an egg in a shell can be laid on land and the young that comes out of the shell can live its entire life out of water the first reptiles differed from the amphibians in a number of ways including the reptiles to lay eggs with shells crocodiles and alligators are the largest living reptiles one kind may be over 20 ft long crocodiles have narrow pointed heads their powerful jaws contain many sharp teeth crocodiles sometimes attack human beings alligator heads are Broad and flat alligators are not as dangerous as crocodiles on both animals the body scales are like heavy armor crocodilians have gone back to water to spend part of their lives even for an air breathing animal there are many advantages to living in water in a coldblooded animal the body temperature is controlled by its surroundings when it becomes too warm or too cool it moves to a more comfortable spot tropical waters are usually warm that's why they're a good place for crocodilians to live in water to these clumsy reptils can move more easily and food is not difficult to find this odd but familiar reptile is a Turtle it moves on strong legs carrying its heavy shell no other land animal has a better protected body than the turtle the hard outer shell is divided into an upper and lower part box turtles can withdraw completely into their shells when danger threatens turtles eat plants and animals they have no teeth so they tear their food with the sharp edges of their [Music] beaks some turtles spend all of their time on land and some divide their time between land and water one of these is the snapping Turtle whose powerful jaws make them dangerous to handle giant land turtles have shells that often measure 5 ft across some sea turtles are giants too and may weigh up to 1,000 lb what change can you see in their legs snakes are the best known reptiles because they are found in so many places in the world except for their color and markings snakes all look very much alike they have long narrow bodies and move without legs the scales that cover the body are not slimy in instead they feel dry and cool as they do on All Reptiles most snakes are harmless but the best rule is not to handle a snake until you are sure what kind it is poisonous snakes have fangs which are Hollow teeth that carry poison this poison kills the animals they eat poisonous snakes such as the coral the water moccasin and the rattlesnake usually attack man only in self-defense or when suddenly surprised giant snakes may be from 12 to 30 ft long they are not poisonous but Kill by squeezing their prey to death there are more lizards than any other kind of reptiles they may be small like this 5in Swift or like this African monitor 7 ft or more in length most lizards are four-legged animals and all have tapering Tails each foot has five toes body scale na s may be rough as on this colored lizard or smooth and flat as on this skink skinks can be recognized by their glossy appearance all lizards like all snakes shed their skins although many lizards may look dangerous only a few are harmful one of these is the poisonous hila monster of the southwestern United States another is its Mexican cousin the hila monster can be recognized by its bright colors its beadlike scales and its slow clumsy walk another North American desert reptile is the horned lizard spin on its head and back help to protect it from enemies when nightfalls it Burrows under the sand for warmth and further protection you've probably seen this little lizard commonly called the American chameleon at circuses or Pet Shops it can change color to match its background of leaves or branches the bright colored flap of skin on the male animal is used for display during courtship this head with eyes that can turn independently of each other belongs to the true chameleon of Africa it doesn't have to work hard for a living by just sitting still it can gather in a meal of insects with its sticky fast shooting tongue the story of reptils is an important part of the study of life on earth reptils have been here for over 300 million years that's 300 times longer than man now their way of life is threatened because man is rapidly changing the remaining Natural Earth to his needs what must we do to save part of the original Wilderness landscape what can we do for reptils and other animals so they will not be lost forever like the dinosaurs