Squamata
From CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science
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Squamata is the largest of all the order in the scientific classification. In the order squamata has over 6,000 living species that composed suborders Lacertilia (Lizards), and the Serpentes (Snakes). Snakes and lizards that are located all around the world, except for Antartica and a few remote islands.
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Anatomy
- Reptile are cold blooded. Most reptiles have a closed chamber heart containing one ventricle. All reptiles have lungs except some aquatic turtles. Most reptiles have to hold their breath while swallowing. They all contain 12 pairs of cranial nerves.
All lizards, snakes, and Worm Lizard have scales that covered their whole body snakes, which are arranged in circular rings. The dry skin protects the internal tissue from drying out. Snakes and lizard has a spectacle that covers each eye in order to protect their eyes from dust and moisture. Even reptiles have spectacles but they don’t have eyelids. We all know that lizard, snakes, and reptiles have a tongue. Well they have different uses. The lizard and snakes usually have a forked tongue. Lizards used it for catching bugs. But the snake however uses its tongue to smell since they aren’t use to normal air from their nostrils. All of them have a Jacobson’s organ. Their diets are commonly known. Reptiles are carnivorous and snakes are omnivores.
- Snakes rely on their senses of smell and touch. They don’t have a movable eyelid but to protect their eye the have a transparent cap for protecting the eye because they only have a limited eye movement. Snakes don’t have external, middle, or tympanic membrane which disable their hearing so they are basically deaf but they can feel vibrations of sound waves through the ground. But the disadvantage of this they only have a low frequencies. Well they smell different from other creatures. They have nostrils but since they aren’t use to smell that much they use their tongue in order to smell their prey. Snakes are covered in scales that protect them from abrasion and dehydration. There are smaller and thinner scales on the belly side in order to protect the tissues that contact the ground when they are moving. Of course they have skin and everyone thinks of slimy but the actual truth they have very dry skin. They only have two skin glands and a pair of scent glands to attract a mate. And snakes also, ecdysis (sheds skin).
- In the worm lizard category it’s around 152 species. They look like a snake but there different from snakes. Well they have scales arranges in circular ring and have short tales, and also have snout use for digging. The worm lizards are legless but some species have front legs because most live underground.
Reproduction
All lizards and snakes are alike for mating. The lizards use the dewlaps to impress the surrounding females and intimidate any other rivals. Well the snake does the same thing but a little bit different. Female snakes attract the males by emitting scents. Lizards and snakes give birth to their offspring and reptiles lay eggs. Reptiles deposit their eggs in the nest they made and usually the snakes coil around their eggs to protect them from any predators. Their members usually have a territory. The males perform rituals to show thats their territory that they claim. Even snakes and lizards have matches.
Ecology
Worm lizard inhabits tropical areas: Africa, West Indies and South America. Even one species is in United States, Florida. Snakes are located everywhere like forests, lakeshores, prairies and the desert. The only time you won’t see them is in Antarctica
