Reptiles - Colour changing... wall running...sun basking... long living...

They're slithery, scaly and super-cool. Peter Fenech meets the animals with real-life superpowers.

- By Peter Fenech

Forget Spider-Man, Ant-Man, or Captain Marvel, it's reptiles that are the true superheroes of the natural world. Did you know that some of these creatures' amazing superpowers include walking on water (check out the basilisk or "Jesus lizard"); becoming "invisible" (the New Zealand forest gecko); living for nearly two centuries (the Seychelles giant tortoise); or surviving a deep freeze (painted turtles)? It's clear that Captain America has nothing on these critters!

Almost anywhere in the world, you'll be able to find reptiles of all shapes and sizes. There are so many varieties that they keep biologists and marine scientists busy on virtually every continent except Antarctica. It would take a whole issue of The Week Junior Science+Nature to talk about them all, but let's set off on an epic journey across the planet to discover some of the fastest and largest – and sometimes scariest – characters you might find in the reptilian universe.

Coldblooded critters

So what are reptiles? If you find a scaly animal slithering through the grass or scampering up a wall, that has a long body, clawed feet and a forked tongue, it's probably a reptile. Most species also lay eggs, which keep the still-developing embryo (an unborn or unhatched animal) safe inside a shell.

You may have heard the term "coldblooded" used to describe reptiles, but what does this mean exactly? The scientific term is "ectothermic", which means that – unlike humans and other mammals – reptiles don't generate heat inside their bodies using energy Tokay gecko. from their food. Instead, they absorb heat energy radiated by the Sun, which is why you will often find lizards basking during the daytime. This sunbathing behaviour allows reptiles to go without food for longer, and it also explains why many are found in hotter climates. That's where we'll begin our journey, exploring the four main reptile groups.