Reptile
Traditionally, reptiles are members of the class Reptilia comprising the amniotes that are neither birds nor mammals. (The amniotes are the vertebrates with eggs featuring an amnion, a double membrane that permits the embryo to breathe effectively on land.) Living reptiles can be distinguished from other tetrapods in that they are cold-blooded and bear scutes or scales.
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Famous quotes containing the word reptile:
“The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
“When I woke, the town spoke.
Birds and clocks and cross bells
Dinned aside the coiling crowd,
The reptile profligates in a flame,
Spoilers and pokers of sleep....”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“When the reptile is attacked at one mouth of his burrow, he shows himself at another.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)