Although reptile don’t breathe underwater some have developed adaptations to help them cope when submerged <\/p>

Although reptiles can\u2019t actually breathe underwater, some, known as \u2018bimodal breathers\u2019, have found ways to top up their oxygen levels while submerged. Some turtles increase their dive time by absorbing oxygen through blood-vessel-lined sacs called bursae in their cloaca (the single rear-body opening in reptiles, amphibians and birds); the water anole has been recorded re-breathing from air bubbles trapped on its head during subaquatic forays; and sea snakes can exchange gas through their skin, which may account for 30 per cent of their oxygen uptake.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a low oxygen concentration in the blood helps to extract it from sea water, but can also compromise brain function. However, it seems the blue-banded sea snake has a solution. Scientists have discovered a hole known as a foramen in the top of the snake\u2019s skull, linking its brain to a large network of oxygen-gathering blood vessels in its head.<\/p>\n