the.com/squamate
the scaled multitude that out-evolved dinosaurs and never bothered to apologize.
means A reptile belonging to the order Squamata — the scaled crowd that includes lizards and snakes — or, as an adjective, simply meaning covered in scales.
from From Latin squamatus, "scaly," built on squama, "a scale" — the same flake of armor the Romans saw on fish and reptiles alike. The word surfaced in scientific English in the 19th century as naturalists carved up the animal kingdom, and the order name Squamata is just squama dressed in full taxonomic Latin. A distant cousin worth noting: that root squama may be related to Latin words for thin, peeling layers, fitting for skin that overlaps like shingles.
- head count
- over 11,000 species of lizards and snakes
- virgin births
- some lizards reproduce without any males
- jaw flex
- snakes unhinge skulls, not jaws, to swallow
- old guard
- squamate lineage predates the first dinosaurs
- third eye
- many possess a light-sensing parietal eye
tuatara — reptile from new zealand that looks like a lizard but is actually the sole survivor of an ancient squamate order, rhynchocephalia
komodo dragon — largest living squamate lizard, found in indonesia, weighs up to 150 kg
anaconda — largest squamate snake by weight, found in south america, can exceed 500 pounds