Reptiles

Chameleons are a distinctive-looking family of lizards. The most famous chameleons change colour to camouflage against their surroundings, but not all chameleons can do this. Chameleons eat insects, catching them with their extremely long tongues. Chameleons can move their eyes independantly, and point them in two different directions at once.

Dinosaurs lived on the Earth millions of years ago. They came in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. Some dinosaurs were tall and walked on two legs, others walked on all fours. Some dinosaurs ate grass and leaves, other dinosaurs ate smaller dinosaurs.

The frill necked lizard, frilled lizard or frilled dragon is found in dry regions of Australia and New Guinea. It can grow to a metre long including its tail. The lizard has a large frill around its neck that it can raise when it is disturbed, and the frill is meant to frighten off whatever disturbed it. If the frill doesn't work it will run away and hide up a tree.
Frill neck lizards eat insects and small lizards.

Goannas are large monitors that live in Australia. Some of them are quite small, but some can grow up to two metres long. Goannas eat insects and small animals, and will also eat rotting meat from dead animals they find.

Komodo dragons are the largest species of lizard. They are a type of monitor, like the goanna. Komodo dragons grow to 2-3 metres long and can weigh up to 70kg. They live only on a string of islands in Indonesia, including Komodo island. They mainly eat dead animals they find, but will also hunt and kill animals. Their bite is slightly venomous and can be extremely painful.

A skink is a small, sleek lizard that looks like a tiny, fast-moving snake with four little legs. They are famous for being able to drop their tails to trick predators, allowing the lizard to dash away while the tail stays behind and keeps wriggling!

Thorny devils, also called the thorny dragon, are lizards that live in dry regions in Australia. They grow to around 8 inches long, and can live to 20 years. They eat ants. Their skin has channels in that funnel water to their mouths if they get damp, which allows them to drink morning dew.

Turtles can be found in the sea, in lakes and in rivers. Turtles that live on land are called tortoises. Tortoises usually eat plants, and turtles eat either plants or fish and other water creatures.
Some kinds of turtle can grow up to two metres long, although most are smaller. Turtles have a hard shell covering their body, and they can hide their head and legs inside it. They can live for over 100 years. The ancestors of turtles and tortoises have been around since before the dinosaurs. Some kinds of small turtles can be kept as pets.