EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -lizard, (suborder Sauria), any of more than 5, 500 species of reptiles belonging in the order Squamata (which also includes snakes, suborder Serpentes).

Detailed explanation-2: -Reptiles are turtles, snakes, lizards, alligators and crocodiles.

Detailed explanation-3: -The major groups of living reptiles-the turtles (order Testudines), tuatara (order Rhynchocephalia [Sphenodontida]), lizards and snakes (order Squamata), and crocodiles (order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia)-account for over 8, 700 species.

Detailed explanation-4: -Lizards are part of a group of animals known as reptiles. They are most closely related to snakes. In fact, some lizards, called sheltopusiks, look like snakes because they have no legs!

Detailed explanation-5: -Lizards are members of the class Reptilia, subclass Lepidosauria, order Squamata (Box 8-1). They are further classified under the suborder Sauria, which distinguishes them from the snakes, worm lizards, and Tuataras (Sphenodon punctatus). There are more than 4000 known species of lizards.