How to use this Site



So your looking at the reptiles section of the site and are wondering how to find the reptile you want to find. If your an amateur and up then you shouldn't have a problem finding your preferred reptile. But what about those of us who don't know our scientific names that well.

I mean what is Ctenosaur or a Rachodactylid? Crotalus what?? Why all the scientific names?

Well scientific or zoological names of creatures, unlike common names, are universally accepted. For instance people in Hong Kong might call the Chinese alligator by a completely different common name then we would, but with zoological names we all speak the same language. So the universal name for the Chinese alligator, no matter what country your in would be: Alligator sinensis. The key here is Universality.

So how do I find what I want

On my site I want you to learn about all the different types of reptiles out there. And what better way to do that then simple trial and error learning. I mean if you pick the wrong name then you learn about a new creature. Now if your in a rush to find a certain animal fast, well then things might be tougher. For those of you who do have deadlines, I might stick a common name next to it's zoological counterpart. But that won't be for awhile and so hopefully you have some time to spare :)

Is it real hard

I know that seeing some of these large names must be a bit intimidating at first, but it's actually quite easy. The more you know about the linking words in zoological names the better you'll get at finding what you want. Plus the names for the different orders of reptiles are real simple to note.

For instance if you see CROCODYLIA then you should guess that it is the section on crocodiles and alligators. You would be right. And if you are a fan of deinosaurs then you know that the suffix saur, means lizard. So if your looking for lizards then you should pick SAURIA. Snakes would be under SERPENTES for serpents, which is a real simple one too.

Of course there are a few stumpers. For instance you'd have to take a guess as to what a MOSASAUR is or a CHELONIAN. And worse yet, trying to figure out what the heck kind of animal is under the RHYNCHOCEPHALIA. Again it's all trial and error from that point. Hopefully by the time you are done looking up one reptile, you will have learned about many others as well.

So go ahead and give it a try. You might come back with more knowledge then you'd expect.


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