Reptile
A cold-blooded vertebrate with scaly skin that typically lays eggs on land. Includes snakes, lizards, turtles, and crocodilians—about 11,000 species.
Used in the Books
This term appears in 5 chapters:
"...tion of flight in insects unlocked access to aerial niches, enabling radiation into thousands of flying species. The evolution of the amniotic egg in reptiles unlocked terrestrial reproduction, enabling radiation into diverse land environments without dependence on water for breeding."
"...ndscape for aquatic locomotion has one dominant peak: streamlined, fusiform (torpedo-shaped) bodies minimize drag. Fish, ichthyosaurs (extinct marine reptiles), dolphins, seals, and penguins all converged on similar body shapes despite evolving from different terrestrial or aquatic ancestors."
"Offspring inherit these environmental conditions, which affect development (temperature during incubation affects sex ratios in some reptiles, microbiome composition affects immune development). Parental niche-construction decisions (where to nest) thus have transgenerational fitness conseq..."
"...Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction event was indiscriminate: it killed apex predators (Tyrannosaurus rex) and primary producers (many plant species), marine reptiles (mosasaurs, plesiosaurs) and terrestrial herbivores (Triceratops), flying pterosaurs and ground-dwelling mammals."
"...ology Max Kleiber's 3/4-power metabolic scaling has been replicated across an extraordinary range. It holds across taxonomic groups: mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, invertebrates, plants, and unicellular organisms. It holds across temperature regimes. It holds across body sizes spanning 21 orders of magnit..."
Biological Context
Reptiles were the first vertebrates fully adapted to terrestrial life, with waterproof skin and shelled eggs. Being ectothermic, they require less food than mammals but depend on environmental temperature. Many reptile lineages have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years.
Business Application
Reptilian business strategies: low metabolic overhead, patience, opportunistic feeding. Some companies operate reptile-style—low fixed costs, waiting for opportunities, striking decisively. Efficient but dependent on favorable external conditions.