Lions hunting donkeys - BBC

Etymology

The lion's name, similar in many Romance languages, is derived from the Latin leo;^[7] and the Ancient Greek λέων (leon).^[8] The Hebrew word לָבִיא (lavi) may also be related.^[9] It was one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus, who gave it the name Felis leo, in his eighteenth century work, Systema Naturae.^[3]

Taxonomy and evolution

Reptile

Reptiles Temporal range: Pennsylvanian - recent 300–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N
Clockwise from above left: Green turtle (Chelonia mydas), Tuatara (Sphenodon punctatus), an agama (Pseudotrapelus sinaitus) and Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
clade:	Amniota
Class:	Reptilia Laurenti, 1768
Subgroups
Anapsida (=Parareptilia?) Testudines (traditional) Eureptilia Saurischia (only living subgroup Aves) Crocodilia Sphenodontia Squamata Testudines (molecular) For extinct orders, see text

Reptiles (Reptilia) are members of a group of air-breathing, ectothermic (cold-blooded) vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs (except for some vipers and constrictor snakes that give live birth), and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors. Modern reptiles inhabit every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Reptiles originated around 320-310 million years ago during the Carboniferous period, having evolved from advanced reptile-like amphibians that became increasingly adapted to life on dry land. Four living orders are typically recognized:

• Crocodilia (crocodiles, gavials, caimans, and alligators): 23 species
• Sphenodontia (tuataras from New Zealand): 2 species
• Squamata (lizards, snakes, and worm lizards): approximately 9,150 species^[1]
• Testudines (turtles, terrapins and tortoises): over 300 species

Additionally, birds are included in Reptilia under phylogenetic definitions.

Unlike amphibians, reptiles do not have an aquatic larval stage. As a rule, reptiles are oviparous (egg-laying), although certain species of squamates retain the eggs until hatching and a few are viviparious. Many of the viviparous species feed their fetuses through various forms of placenta analogous to those of mammals, with some providing initial care for their hatchlings. Extant reptiles range in size from a tiny gecko, Sphaerodactylus ariasae, which can grow up to 1.7 cm (0.6 in) to the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus, which may reach 6 m in length and weigh over 1,000 kg.

The study of reptiles and amphibians is called herpetology.

History of classification

Reptiles, from Nouveau Larousse Illustré, 1897-1904. Notice the inclusion of amphibians (below the crocodiles).

[edit] Linnaeus and the 18th century

The reptiles were from the outset of classification grouped with the amphibians. Linnaeus, working from species-poor Sweden, where the common adder and grass snake are often found hunting in water, included all reptiles and amphibians in class "III – Amphibia" in his Systema Naturæ.^[2] The terms "reptile" and "amphibian" were largely interchangeable, "reptile" (from Latin repere, "to creep") being preferred by the French.^[3] Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti was the first to formally use the term "Reptilia" for an expanded selection of reptiles and amphibians basically similar to that of Linnaeus.^[4] Today, it is still common to treat the two groups under the same heading as herptiles.

[edit] "Antediluvian monsters"

An "antediluvian monster", a Mosasaurus discovered in a Maastricht limestone quarry, 1770 (contemporary engraving)

Not until the beginning of the 19th century did it become clear that reptiles and amphibians are in fact quite different animals, and Pierre André Latreille erected the class Batracia (1825) for the latter, dividing the tetrapods into the four familiar classes of reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals.^[5]

sounds  of  different  animals