23 Apr 🦇Tiny in the NHM: Reptiles!
🐍 HEY KIDS! 🐍
Tiny the Lesser Long-eared Bat here! It’s Thursday, and you know what that means – we’re back in the Natural History Museum exploring all our wonderful specimens.
This week we’re sslithering over to our scaly and bony plated friends in the reptiles cabinet!
The origin of reptiles is thought to have been around 320 million years ago, and today there are four orders of reptiles – Testudines, Squamata, Crocodylia and Rhynchocephalia. Squamates, or lizards and snakes, are the most diverse group with around 8000 species, which can be found on every continent except Antarctica.
Reptiles are ectotherms, meaning they get their body heat from external sources. They can’t regulate their body temperature like we can, so often need to bask in the sun to warm up and move to the shade to cool down.
Use the activity sheet below to explore reptiles further and create your own scales at home!