The Silurians have appeared in two Doctor Who televised stories.

They first appeared in the third Doctor’s era and, then again in the fifth Doctor’s era.

The term ‘Silurian’ is the *period from which they inhabited the Earth in prehistoric times.

The name 'Silurian,' was given by humans. The Silurians were reptile like, with a scaly appearance. They were about 7 feet tall and had long fingers and three toes on their webbed feet. They were a cold blooded humanoid race and scientifically advanced. They had  an oval suction-like mouth and, two yellow reptile-like eyes with a third red eye, in their foreheads, which glowed when it was active. This, enabled them to kill, or stun their opponents, to signal to each other and, to open doors. However, in their second story, the Silurians third eye just glows when they communicate. Their dominance on the Earth ended, when their scientists spotted a dead planet, which was to become the moon, had entered the Solar System. They then went into hibernation to avert the danger they predicted.

When we first encountered the Silurians, they were awoken by the energy of a  nearby nuclear research station. They tried to reclaim Earth by creating a deadly virus and, then try to use a disperser to destroy the Van Allen Belt. Both times the Doctor scuppers their plans. The Doctor tries to come up with a peaceful solution so that they can live alongside human beings, but  Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart has other plans and destroys the Silurians in their caves.

In their second outing, about a century later in,‘The Warriors of the Deep,’ the Silurians appeared alongside their aquatic cousins the Sea Devils. The reptiles now call themselves Silurians and, ditto with the Sea Devils. Both the Silurians and Sea Devils are different in appearance to  how they looked previously and, the Silurians now wear breastplates. They also have another weapon a Mykra, a giant electrified sea beast, which the Doctor destroys by using ultra violet heat. Again the Silurians try to reclaim the earth by causing a global war, but are stopped when the Doctor reluctantly suggests to the scientific and military team to kill the reptile warriors, by using hexachromite gas which is lethal to marine life.

 *Though this is scientifically incorrect, as there were many letters at the time, from scientists, stating that was impossible for any reptilain life form to exist in this period. 

 The Silurians Returned in 2010 with Matt Smith in the episodes Hungry Earth and Cold Blood, Madame Vastra who was in these two episodes helped the Doctor in A Good Man Goes To War. 

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