Reptiles are vertebrate animals characterised by the way they crawl or drag themselves along the ground. Examples include the snake, the crocodile, the lizard and the tortoise. This is because they originally lived in water.  Evolution has enabled them to fully adapt to life on land. Nevertheless, they do normally live near water (reservoirs, lakes, the banks of rivers, etc.).

Reptiles’ bodies are generally covered with a dry skin made of scales. They breathe through lungs and are cold blooded, i.e. their body temperature varies according to climatic conditions. The majority are oviparous, reproducing by means of eggs that incubate in a nest. There are some 8,000 different reptile species in the world.