All About Reptiles Trivia Quiz

Answer: They let birds clean them.

Crocodiles have between 64 and 68 teeth to keep clean. They open their mouths and let birds hop inside to pull out bits of old food and insects. Although this seems to be a mutually helpful relationship I am not sure that the birds don't sometimes make a tasty snack for a hungry crocodile.

Answer: To taste the air

Snakes' tongues pick up scents in the air and carries them to a sensitive area in the roof of their mouth where it is tasted. This lets them know if a mate, meal or enemy is nearby.

Answer: To escape from enemies

The European grass snake will lie on its back with its tongue hanging out until the enemy decides the dead snake won't taste nice and leaves. The snake then "comes back to life" and escapes. Obviously some snakes really do die but then they are not pretending.

Answer: To protect themselves

These make the lizard look fierce and help to make them too prickly to eat. Lizards have found other ways of protecting themselves with their skin. Some change their skin colour to look like their surroundings and some have a frill which opens up to make them look bigger and scarier.

Answer: They don't smile

Crocodiles don't really smile but can look like they are. To cool themselves down they will open their mouths to pant and this will make them look like they are smiling.

Answer: To keep them clean

A gecko, which is a type of lizard, doesn't have eyelids so it uses its long tongue to keep them moist and clean. Other lizards do have eyelids which means they don't need to lick their eyes.

Answer: To escape from enemies

A lizard can easily snap off its tail when being attacked. The tail will carry on wiggling which distracts the enemy letting the lizard escape. They will grow a new tail in a few weeks.

Answer: They swallow it whole

Snakes' jaws and bodies are elastic so they can swallow things much larger than themselves. Sometimes this can last them a long time until they need another meal. However, they do need to digest their food before it rots inside them or they will get ill.

Answer: All of them

Turtles are also reptiles. All reptiles have a bony skeleton and a scaly skin. Reptiles live on land and sea everywhere in the world except for the polar regions because they don't like the cold.

Answer: It uses its tongue

The turtle will lie on the bottom of the lake with its mouth wide open. Its tongue has a wriggly pink tip which looks like a worm - if a fish tries to eat the "worm" the turtle eats the fish instead.