Reptiles
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49 free Reptiles trivia questions with answers — nature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
50 free reptiles trivia questions with answers. Think you know everything about reptiles? Test your knowledge with our comprehensive trivia quiz covering snakes, lizards, turtles, crocodilians, and more. Whether you're a wildlife enthusiast or just curious about these fascinating cold-blooded creatures, this quiz offers an entertaining way to learn interesting reptile facts and expand your understanding of the animal kingdom.
30 of 49 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01What term describes animals that regulate their body temperature externally?
Ectothermic
Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning they rely on external sources like sunlight to warm their bodies.
Q 02What is the process called when a reptile sheds its skin?
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the biological process by which reptiles shed their outer layer of skin, often to allow for growth or to remove parasites.
Q 03Sea turtles usually lay roughly how many eggs in a single nest?
100
A sea turtle clutch averages around 100 eggs, and one turtle may lay several clutches in a season; only about one hatchling in a thousand is thought to reach adulthood.
Q 04What specialized fangs do vipers use to inject venom?
Solenoglyphous
Vipers possess solenoglyphous fangs, which are long, hinged fangs that can fold back against the roof of the mouth when not in use and are erected to inject venom.
Q 05Thanks to a slow metabolism, a large Komodo dragon can survive on as few as how many meals a year?
12
A big Komodo dragon can get by on about 12 meals a year; after gorging up to 80% of its body mass in one sitting it basks to speed digestion so the meal does not rot inside it.
Q 06To which order do the turtles belong?
Testudines
Testudines includes tortoises and sea turtles alike, all built around a shell fused to the ribs and spine.
Q 07Which reptile, native to New Zealand, is the only surviving member of the order Rhynchocephalia?
Tuatara
The tuatara, often called a 'living fossil,' is an ancient reptile endemic to New Zealand and the sole surviving member of its order, Rhynchocephalia, which diverged from other reptiles over 250 million years ago.
Q 08Colour change in chameleons helps with camouflage, but its most common function is what?
Social signalling
Social signalling is the main driver: a chameleon brightens to court a mate or intimidate a rival and darkens in submission; colour also shifts with temperature, darkening to absorb heat.
Q 09Sidewinding is a snake gait used for crossing what kind of surface?
Loose, slippery sand
Sidewinding suits loose, slippery sand where ordinary undulation finds no purchase; only two short sections of the body touch the ground at any moment, leaving parallel J-shaped tracks.
Q 10How many chambers do most non-crocodilian reptiles have in their heart?
Three
Most reptiles, including lizards, snakes, and turtles, possess a three-chambered heart with two atria and one partially divided ventricle, allowing for some mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood.
Q 11Crocodiles excrete excess salt through modified salivary glands located where?
On the tongue
Crocodiles carry lingual salt glands on the tongue, modified salivary glands that excrete excess salt; alligators and caimans have lost the function, one reason they stick to fresh water.
Q 12The word 'alligator' is likely an anglicised form of the Spanish phrase el lagarto, meaning what?
The lizard
El lagarto means 'the lizard'; Spanish explorers in Florida applied it to the animal, and English speakers ran the words together into 'alligator' by the 1600s.
Q 13What protein forms the tough outer layer of reptile scales?
Keratin
Reptile scales are primarily composed of keratin, a fibrous structural protein also found in human hair and nails, which provides protection and reduces water loss.
Q 21Which infrared-sensing organs sit between the eye and the nostril on each side of a pit viper's head?
Loreal pits
Loreal pits, one on each side between eye and nostril, give pit vipers a crude infrared image of warm prey; boas and pythons instead carry rows of smaller labial pits along their lips.
Q 22Which reptile is among the longest-lived vertebrates, with some individuals passing 150 years?
Galapagos Tortoise
The Galapagos tortoise is among the longest-lived vertebrates, with wild lifespans beyond a century; Harriet, at Australia Zoo, was estimated at about 175 years old when she died in 2006.
Q 23Which slow snake gait moves the body forward using only the belly scales, without bending?
Rectilinear locomotion
Q 14What is a common food item for many garter snake species?
Earthworms
Garter snakes are opportunistic carnivores with a varied diet that commonly includes earthworms, slugs, amphibians, and small fish, depending on their habitat.
Q 15Living reptiles range from a 17 mm dwarf gecko up to which species, which can top 6 m and 1,000 kg?
Saltwater crocodile
The saltwater crocodile of the Indo-Pacific is the largest living reptile, the biggest exceeding 6 m and 1,000 kg; the smallest is the Jaragua dwarf gecko of Hispaniola, which fits on a coin.
Q 16What is generally considered the longest snake species in the world?
Reticulated Python
The reticulated python is the world's longest snake, though only the third heaviest after the green anaconda and Burmese python. Wild specimens commonly range from 1.5 to 6.5 metres; the largest scientifically measured example was 6.95 m (22 ft 10 in).
Q 17Which marine chelonian lacks a bony shell, its carapace instead covered by oily flesh and flexible skin?
Leatherback
The leatherback, Dermochelys coriacea ('leathery skin-turtle'), has no bony shell; its carapace is a mosaic of small bones under oily flesh and tough skin, and it is the largest living turtle.
Q 18Compared with crocodiles, alligators and caimans generally have snouts of which shape?
U-shaped
Alligators and caimans have broad, U-shaped snouts, while crocodiles' are narrower and V-shaped; a crocodile's lower fourth tooth also stays visible when the mouth is shut.
Q 19What are the specialised structures on gecko feet that let them climb smooth surfaces called?
Lamellae
Geckos have specialized toe pads called lamellae, covered in millions of microscopic hairs (setae) that create strong adhesive forces, allowing them to cling to almost any surface.
Q 20Which is the only venomous lizard native to the United States?
Gila Monster
The Gila monster, a slow, heavy lizard of the Sonoran and Mojave deserts, is the only venomous lizard native to the United States; exendin-4 from its venom became the type 2 diabetes drug exenatide.
Rectilinear locomotion is a slow, straight-line movement where a snake stiffens its ribs and uses ventral scales to push forward, often seen in heavy-bodied snakes.
Q 24A chameleon's tongue can reach its prey in as little as how long?
0.07 seconds
A chameleon's tongue can hit prey in about 0.07 seconds, launching at accelerations above 41 g, powered by elastic collagen that stores energy before release.
Q 25Which light-sensitive organ on top of the head is most pronounced in the tuatara among living tetrapods?
Parietal eye
The parietal eye, a light-sensitive 'third eye' with its own lens and retina, is most developed in the tuatara; it shows in hatchlings as a translucent patch and is covered by opaque scales within about half a year.
Q 26A snake's permanently closed, transparent eyelid scales are known by what name?
Brille
The brille, or spectacle, is the fused transparent scale over each eye; it is shed along with the rest of the skin, which is why a snake's eyes cloud over before it moults.
Q 27Beyond protection, what is a primary function of scales on most reptiles?
Preventing water loss
Preventing water loss is the key job: the overlapping scales and the tough, waxy skin beneath them seal moisture in, which is what lets reptiles thrive in deserts and far from water.
Q 28What is it called when incubation heat, not genetics, determines the sex of crocodilian offspring?
Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination
Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination (TSD) is common in crocodilians, where warmer temperatures typically produce males and cooler temperatures produce females, or vice versa depending on the species.
Q 29What are the upper and lower parts of a turtle's shell called?
Carapace and Plastron
The upper domed part of a turtle's shell is called the carapace, and the flat lower part is called the plastron.
Q 30How do snakes typically shed their outer skin?
In one piece
Snakes shed in one piece: the old skin peels back from the head and turns inside out as the snake crawls free, like a dust jacket sliding off a book.