Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates with scales instead of hair or feathers that live on every continent except Antarctica. There are four orders of reptiles: crocodiles, alligators and caimans; tuataras; over 7,900 species of lizards and snakes; and around 300 species of turtles, tortoises and terrapins. While most reptiles lay eggs, some lizard and snake species give live birth through egg retention or placental development analogous to mammals.