How Are Crawling Animals Classified in Biology?
The crawling animals are also known as reptiles and these animals tend to belong to the class of Reptilia. The animals that are included in this group are the air-breathing vertebrates that have epidermal scales covering the different parts of their bodies. Apart from that, these animals also tend to have an internal process of fertilization that occurs in their body.
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Some of the major examples of the living crawling examples are snakes, crocodiles, turtles, and other reptile forms. Reptile is the term that is obtained from the Latin Language and the literal translation of the word means “to crawl''. Hence, reptiles are the most commonly known animals belonging to the crawling animals chart.
Definition of Crawling Animals or Reptiles
Reptiles can be defined as the vertebrate organisms that belong to a particular class such as lizards, snakes, tortoises, turtles, crocodiles, and much more. One of the distinguishing properties of these organisms is the presence of the dry and scaly skin that they have. These organisms also tend to lay eggs that have a hard shell on the land.
Classification And Examples of Crawling Animals
According to the crawling animals chart, there are 4 different types of animals that tend to crawl.
Turtles:
These animals tend to have little or no changes in their appearance when compared to the reptiles of other categories. From their formation about 200 million years ago, turtles haven’t been through many changes. These animals tend to have a shell that acts as a protective cover for their body. The name of the shell is carapace. This shell, aside from providing protection, also acts as camouflage. The turtle’s outer shell is created with scutes and several bone structures make up the inner shell.
The Squamata:
These are the reptiles that include snakes and lizards. Some of the lizards belong to the group of small crawling animals. However, it is considered to be one of the largest orders of reptiles. There are so many variations in the species and the organisms that are included in this order.
The Crocodilian:
In this particular group, alligators and crocodiles are included. These organisms are predatory and large in size. They are also semi-aquatic in nature. Their bodies are built in a solid manner and they have flattened snouts along with a large tail.
The Tuatara:
In this particular group, the animals that have lizard-like characteristics are discussed. The crawling animals name belonging to the ‘tuatara’ group takes inspiration from the Maori language. The literal translation of the word means ‘peak on top of the beaks’. Only one organism is included in the list and it is the Sphenodon punctatus.
Features of Crawling Animals
Since there are so many different animals that are included in the crawling animals list, it is important to know the characteristics that these animals tend to have. Here, the article tends to mention some main characteristics that are possessed by the organisms that belong to the group of animals that tend to crawl.
All the reptiles and animals that are included in this particular list are the ones that tend to lay their eggs on the land. This list also includes the animals that are semi-aquatic and aquatic in nature.
The reproduction process in most of the animals that have a crawling nature or reptiles is internalized. The process of internal fertilization means that the entire sexual fertilization will take place internally. While some of these organisms might lay their eggs on the land, there are some who will give birth to their young ones.
Another one of the main characteristics of the animals that tend to crawl is that they have scaly and impermeable skin. One of the most common examples of such a type of skin can be seen in the snakes that crawl around. These organisms move to the land because the skin types they have aren’t suitable enough to facilitate the process of respiration under the water.
The reptiles or the crawling animals name was given to the organisms that belong to the Reptilia group. These organisms depend on the surroundings of their environment in order to adjust their body temperature. Since these animals are ectotherms, the temperature according to the climate has an effect on the body temperature of the reptiles. This provides an advantage to the reptiles because they aren’t dependent on the metabolic energy that is generated from the body heat. Hence, the temperature of their bodies keeps on changing according to the environment that they live in.
Conclusion
The crawling animals name has been given to a specific group of animals that belong to the class Reptilia. This class of animals includes lizards, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, turtles, and some other species of organisms. The name ‘crawling animal’ is given to them because they have the ability to crawl on land surfaces. There are different characteristics that these animals have such as scaly, impermeable skin, and internal fertilization.
FAQs on Crawling Animals: Types, Features, and Examples
1. What are crawling animals?
Crawling animals are organisms that move by pulling their bodies close to the ground. This mode of movement, known as locomotion, typically involves using short limbs or the entire body to move forward. The term most commonly refers to the class Reptilia, which includes animals like lizards, snakes, and crocodiles, but it can also describe the movement of certain amphibians and invertebrates like snails and worms.
2. What are the main characteristics of crawling animals, especially reptiles?
Reptiles, the most well-known crawling animals, share several key features:
They are vertebrates, meaning they possess a backbone.
Their bodies are covered in dry, tough scales made of keratin, which prevents water loss.
They are primarily ectothermic or 'cold-blooded', relying on external sources like the sun to regulate their body temperature.
Most reptiles reproduce by laying leathery or hard-shelled eggs on land, although some species give birth to live young.
They breathe air using lungs throughout their entire life cycle.
3. What are some common examples of crawling animals from different groups?
Crawling animals are found across different animal classes. Common examples include:
Reptiles: Lizards, crocodiles, turtles, tortoises, and snakes.
Amphibians: Salamanders and newts, which often crawl on land.
Invertebrates: Snails, slugs, worms, caterpillars, and insects like ants and beetles.
4. Are all crawling animals reptiles?
No, not all crawling animals are reptiles. While reptiles are the most famous examples, the term 'crawling' describes a type of movement, not a specific scientific classification. For example, invertebrates like snails crawl using a muscular foot, and insects like ants crawl using six legs. Amphibians such as salamanders also crawl. Therefore, crawling is a form of locomotion seen in many different animal groups, not just reptiles.
5. How do snakes crawl effectively without any legs?
Snakes crawl using a combination of their flexible spine, powerful muscles, and specialised belly scales. They primarily use a method called serpentine locomotion, where they push off surfaces by creating S-shaped curves with their body. The backward-facing edges of their belly scales grip the ground, preventing them from slipping backward and allowing them to propel themselves forward with each muscular contraction. Some snakes use other methods like 'concertina' or 'sidewinding' depending on the terrain.
6. Why are most crawling animals, such as reptiles, considered 'cold-blooded'?
Reptiles are 'cold-blooded', or more accurately ectothermic, because they cannot generate significant metabolic heat to maintain a constant internal body temperature. Instead, their body temperature is largely determined by their environment. This is why you often see lizards or snakes basking in the sun to warm up and become active, or seeking shade to cool down. This trait is an adaptation that allows them to conserve energy, as they don't need to burn calories to stay warm, enabling them to survive on infrequent meals.
7. How is the crawling of an invertebrate like a snail different from that of a vertebrate like a lizard?
The crawling mechanism is fundamentally different between a snail and a lizard. A lizard, being a vertebrate, uses its four limbs and a skeletal system to push against the ground, moving its body in a side-to-side motion. In contrast, a snail is an invertebrate and crawls using its large, muscular 'foot'. It secretes a layer of mucus to reduce friction and glides over it by creating waves of muscular contractions along its foot. The lizard's movement is powered by a skeleton and limbs, while the snail's is based on hydraulics and muscular waves on a single structure.
8. What special features allow crocodiles to be efficient crawling animals on land?
Crocodiles possess several adaptations for crawling on land despite their large, heavy bodies. They can perform a 'low walk' with their legs splayed out, but for faster movement, they can do a 'high walk' by positioning their legs more directly under their body. Their powerful tail acts as a counterbalance, and their strong leg muscles provide the necessary force for propulsion. While they are famously known for the 'belly crawl' over short distances on muddy banks, their ability to lift their body off the ground makes them surprisingly agile land predators.
