Reptiles include lizards and snakes; turtles and tortoises, crocodiles and alligators; and tuataras! Reptiles formed the first vertebrate group adapted for life on drier terrestrial habitats. The horns and scales on their skin resist loss of moisture and enable living on rough terrain.

Development of reptiles takes between few weeks to several months. The New Zealand tuatara is unique in that it requires about 13 months. Most reptiles feed on other animals - Lizards and small snakes eat insects and small invertebrates; small turtles prey on aquatic invertebrates; large turtles, snakes and crocodilians eat vertebrates ranging from fish to mammals. Land tortoises, some turtles and a few lizards such as the chuckwalla and the desert iguana feed on vegetation. The Galapagos marine iguana browses chiefly on seaweed!

Snakes are often feared as venomous reptiles. Only a few dozen of the 3,000 snake species across the world can cause harm and many are also beneficial as predators of vermin and of other snake species. The most venomous snake found in India is the King cobra, which is one of the largest poisonous snakes in the world. On an average, it can grow up to 5.8 m. long. Apart from snakes, two species of Heloderma including the Gila monster are also venomous.

The most enormous diversity of turtles is seen in the Northeast (19 species) and the Himalayas (13 species). Bataguridae is the largest family in India. Turtles are threatened by sand-mining, deforestation, pesticides. The destruction of mangroves has greatly affected the river terrapin, a species once common in the Sundarbans.

India harbours 6.2 per cent of the world's reptiles. Only 12 genera of Indian reptiles are seen in Myanmar, Thailand, Malay peninsula and the Indo-China region. In contrast, as many as 42 Indo-Malayan genera are seen in India.

Click here to download the checklist of reptiles in India.