Listen free for 30 days
Listen with offer
-
Reptiles
- A Very Short Introduction
- Narrated by: Jack de Golia
- Length: 3 hrs and 55 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to wishlist failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
£0.00 for first 30 days
Buy Now for £10.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Summary
For millions of years, reptiles have walked, crawled, and slithered over the face of our earth. From the mighty dinosaurs who dominated the land, the pterosaurs who took to the air, and the marine-adapted ichthyosaurs, to the living reptiles today such as the lizards, snakes, crocodiles, and turtles, plus the single species of tuatara in New Zealand, reptiles have come in all shapes and sizes.
In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Tom Kemp discusses the adaptations reptiles made to first leave the sea and colonize the land in dry conditions, such as their waterproof skin, their ability to expel almost dry waste products, their efficient use of external heat for maintaining their body temperature, and the amniotic egg that is laid and develops on dry land.
Considering the different living groups of reptiles today, Kemp then describes how their respective bodies are adapted for their different ways of life, from snake feeding patterns to the way crocodiles breathe. Finally, Kemp assesses the threat of extinction to reptile species due to overexploitation, habitat destruction, and climate change, and considers what can be done.