TAXONOMY

There are over 7780 species of reptiles in existence today (Uetz 2000), divided into four orders: Chelonia, Crocodylia, Rhynchocephalia and Squamata. This book will deal with the two orders more commonly seen in veterinary practice: the Chelonia, or shelled species, and the Squamata, which consists mainly of snakes and lizards (Table 2.1).