REPTILE BEHAVIOR

	Although reptiles are cold-blooded, the body temperature of most earthlike reptiles matches the temperature of their environment only at night and during periods of inactivity.
	During the day, these reptiles are able to maintain their body temperatures within a very narrow range, often warmer than their surroundings, and much of their behavior is geared toward taking advantage of  the heat flow between their bodies and their environment.
	Reptiles stay in the sun during the morning, often on an exposed rock, log, or branch.
	They may darken their skin to increase taking in of sunlight—the darker pigment molecules absorb radiant heat more readily than do those of lighter colors.
	Or, they may flatten their bodies to increase the area exposed to the sun.
	If a reptile’s head and brain become uncomfortably hot before the rest of its body is warm enough for activity, the reptile may open its mouth enabling moisture inside the mouth to evaporate to create a cooling effect.
	This behavior is commonly seen in crocodiles.
	Some desert lizards may breath, much like dogs, to lose heat by evaporating water from their mouths.
	Lizards and snakes may shuttle between warm and cool places, including different positions within trees.
	Turtles and crocodiles may move between land and water
	Marine reptiles may travel between warmer and cooler parts of the water.
	When the weather cools, many reptiles find a secure place underground or in ground debris, where they pass the winter in a state of inactivity much like hibernating.
	Turtles may retreat to the bottom of ponds, where they remain even when the ponds ice over.
	They are able to absorb all the oxygen they need from the water through the linings of their mouths, throats, their skin, and thin-walled sacks called bursae in their cloacae.
	When the weather warms in the spring, reptiles appear again to begin a new season of activity and reproduction.

Reptile Feeding Habits §         Many reptiles and all snakes are carnivores (meat eaters) §          Most of the lizards eat insects. §         Most snakes eat smaller vertebrates, birds, rodents, fish, amphibians, and other reptiles. §          For many snakes, bird and reptile eggs are a tasty treat. §         Many turtles and tortoises, as well as some lizards including the common green iguana, are herbivores (plant eaters) §         They obtain their food by browsing leaves and fruits. §          Other turtles, such as the American painted turtles and sliders, are omnivores—animals that eat a combination of both plants and animals. §         Carnivorous (meat eating) reptiles vary greatly in their means of getting prey. §         Some aquatic turtles attack prey with a rapid thrust of their long necks while drawing water into their mouths to suck in the prey. §         Many smaller snakes, such as rat snakes, king snakes, and large snakes like pythons and boas, strike and hold their prey, throwing coils of their body around it to kill it by squeezing before swallowing it whole. §          Nearly all snakes can dislocate their jaws to swallow prey far larger than their own heads. §         African pythons have been could even eat impalas, small antelopes even though they are bigger in size. §         Poisonous snakes strike out and bite their prey, injecting them with venom like the king cobra  §         Instead of struggling with the prey as the venom takes effect, these snakes often release. §         Chameleons have long sticky tongue that they use to grab insects quickly. §         Large monitor lizards can hunt prey animals. §         Crocodiles mostly eat fish. §         They can also hide underwater and catch larger mammals like wildebeest.