Reptiles

They fascinate us or we fear them: they are often wrongly accused of being slimy. They can be dangerous or completely harmless: they are reptiles.
Reptiles are very diverse and have few characteristics in common. They share only a few basic traits, such as scaly skin. Moreover, not all reptiles are descended from a common ancestor. Birds, for example, are more closely related to crocodilians than to lizards. The term reptile therefore encompasses animals with diverse morphologies and anatomical characteristics. There can be enormous variations in size. They are vertebrates whose limbs may have regressed or even disappeared completely, as in snakes and slow worms. Their bodies are covered with scales, and some are protected by bony plates or a shell, as in turtles. Some have additional attributes: crests, dorsal spines, gular flaps, horns. Their bodies end in a tail. They all breathe using lungs, but do not have a diaphragm. Their hearts have two atria and one ventricle, which in crocodilians is partially divided into two.
Most reptiles are carnivorous, feeding on prey ranging from the smallest (insects, molluscs, spiders, etc.) to the largest, such as wildebeests and gazelles. However, some are herbivorous. They are generally capable of fasting for long periods of time. As cold-blooded animals, their internal temperature is not stable but depends on the external environment. Most are oviparous, but some are viviparous. Reptiles are found almost everywhere on Earth, except for the poles, which are too cold. Being cold-blooded, they prefer areas where the temperature is fairly high, and their diversity is greater near the tropics. They are found in the ocean, in tropical forests, deserts and mountainous areas.
In any case, nature adorns them with discreet or flamboyant colours, making them a beautiful source of inspiration.
To find out more about reptiles, visit https://www.projetecolo.com/les-reptiles-definition-classification-et-exemples-337.html or https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles. Descriptive fact sheets on reptiles in alphabetical orderhttps://www.instinct-animal.fr/reptiles/

The colours that inspired the creations
Untitled, 17 July 2025, veiled chameleon; Untitled, 1 July 2024, iguana