Other Reptiles: English Vocabulary List

the largest living lizard with a long venomous tongue and rough skin, endemic to Indonesian Islands

"Komodo dragons have bacteria in their saliva that causes blood poisoning."

"The Komodo dragon has bacteria laden saliva that causes fatal septicemia in its prey within days."

a now extinct group of reptiles that used to live in Mesozoic era, which had enormous bodies and were mainly terrestrial

"Enormous dinosaur bones."

"Dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems for over one hundred sixty million years before becoming extinct."

a large animal living in both water and on land which has strong jaws, a long tail, and sharp teeth

"The alligator swam slowly."

"The alligator floated motionless in the swamp with only its eyes and nostrils visible making it difficult for prey to detect the predator."

a group of animals with a long body and tail, a rough skin and two pairs of short legs

"A lizard sat on the wall."

"Lizards can detach their tails when grabbed by a predator allowing them to escape while the detached tail continues to wiggle and distract the attacker."

an insectivorous lizard with short limbs and an elongated body that inhabits tropical regions

"The skink lost its tail."

"The skink is a smooth scaled lizard that can shed its tail to escape from predators."

a small nocturnal reptile of the lizard family that feeds on insects and is found in warm climates

"Geckos climb smooth surfaces using microscopic hairs on their feet."

"The gecko can walk up smooth surfaces and even across ceilings using microscopic hairs on its toes."

a large reptile with very big jaws, sharp teeth, short legs, and a hard skin and long tail that lives in rivers and lakes in warmer regions

"The crocodile lay still in the water."

"The crocodile lay silently in the water with only its eyes and nostrils visible above the surface."

a large herbivorous reptilian of the lizard family with a dorsal crest, which lives in tropical areas of America

"The iguana basks in the sun to raise its body temperature."

"The marine iguana is the only lizard that forages in the ocean feeding on underwater algae."

a semi-aquatic reptile similar to an alligator with an armored underpart, originally from North and South America

"The caiman swam in the river."

"The caiman is a smaller relative of the alligator that lives in Central and South American rivers."

a legless lizard with a long cylindrical body, smooth scales, and a non-aggressive nature

"The slowworm is actually a legless lizard not a snake at all."

"The slowworm is actually a legless lizard not a snake and can blink its eyelids."

a reptile endemic to New Zealand, known for its unique physical features and long lifespan

"Tuatara have a third eye on the top of their head."

"The tuatara is a reptile endemic to New Zealand that has a third eye on top of its head."

a reptile capable of gliding through the air using elongated ribs that support their wing-like structures

"Flying lizards spread their ribs to glide between trees."

"The flying lizard glides between trees using extendable ribs that support wing like flaps of skin."

a reptile characterized by its large, fringed neck flap, which it can raise as a display to intimidate predators or potential threats

"The frilled lizard opens its colorful neck frill to scare enemies."

"The frilled lizard opens its enormous frill around its neck to scare away predators when threatened."

a large, long-lived reptile with a sturdy shell, short legs, and a herbivorous diet

"Giant tortoises can live for more than one hundred fifty years."

"The giant tortoise can live for over one hundred fifty years making it one of the longest living vertebrates."

a species of sea turtle characterized by its greenish-colored fat and cartilage, known for its long migrations and herbivorous diet

"The green turtle ate seagrass."

"The green turtle returns to the exact beach where it was born to lay its own eggs."

a popular species of lizard native to Australia, known for its docile nature and distinctive beard-like projection under the chin

"The bearded dragon basked in the sun."

"The bearded dragon is a popular pet lizard that puffs out its spiky throat when threatened."

a type of turtle that lives on land and moves very slowly, with a large shell on its back

"The tortoise moved slowly."

"The tortoise lived for many years."

an animal that has a hard shell around its body and lives mainly in water

"The turtle moved slowly."

"The sea turtle returned to the exact beach where it was born decades earlier to lay its own eggs guided by the Earth magnetic field."

the largest living sea turtle with a thick leathery shell that migrates in northern hemisphere

"Leatherback turtles can dive deeper than three thousand feet."

"The leatherback turtle is the largest sea turtle and can dive deeper than any other reptile."