A Beginner’s Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians
Reptiles and amphibians are distant relatives with some similarities, which can make separating them a challenge. These field guides provide essential information to help you identify the creepy crawlies in their natural habitats.
The folding guide is compact and easily portable so you can take it with you on trips to reptile viewing spots. Logical organization and bulleted information facilitate quick reference. Look at https://spectrapets.com/ web site if you need to have details information regarding reptiles.
What are Reptiles?
Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates with a unique dry skin covered by scales or bony plates. They are ectothermic, meaning they depend on the temperature of their surroundings to maintain a constant internal body temperature.
Reptilian species include snakes, lizards, tortoises and crocodiles. The majority of reptiles are oviparous (lay eggs), although some turtles and lizards are viviparous (give birth to live young).
Most reptiles are diurnal, which means they are active during daylight hours. They typically have excellent vision, allowing them to see shapes and movements far away. They are also able to detect sounds and may hear predators calling from a distance. Their impermeable scales protect them from pollutants and other toxins that can be found on land or in water. Their metabolism is slow and they are able to conserve energy.
What are Amphibians?
The word “amphibian” comes from the Greek words for “two lives.” Amphibians live two lives in one body – in water as gill-breathing aquatic larvae and on land as frogs or toads.
Amphibians hatch from eggs laid in freshwater ecosystems like lakes or streams. These legless, aquatic larvae, known as tadpoles, eventually grow wings, fins and lungs and lose their tail in a transformation called metamorphosis.
Tadpoles use internal fertilization – a male releases sperm over the female’s eggs which are pulled into her cloaca, a single opening for all her internal organs. All amphibians have soft, permeable skin that lets them breathe on land and in water. They are carnivorous, eating anything that will fit in their mouths including other frogs, toads, bugs, slugs, snails and mice (if they can catch them!).
How do Reptiles and Amphibians live?
Reptiles include snakes, turtles, lizards and alligators while amphibians are frogs, toads, newts and salamanders. Like all reptiles, amphibians are cold-blooded (ectothermic) animals that don’t create their own body heat. Instead, their temperature rises and falls with the environment.
Amphibians’ thin, permeable skin must stay moist to absorb oxygen from water and air. This skin also functions as a defense mechanism, with some species carrying toxins in their glands that can be released when a predator approaches.
Most amphibians are hatched from jellylike eggs that have no shells and look nothing like their adult counterparts. They undergo a process called metamorphosis that takes them from being aquatic, breathing through their gills, to having lungs and legs for living on land. Amphibians are also more sensitive to chemical contamination than reptiles.
How do Reptiles and Amphibians reproduce?
Reptiles typically lay eggs with a hard or leathery shell and the hatchlings look like miniature versions of adults. They usually require internal fertilization to breed, although live birth does occur in a few species.
Amphibians usually need water to reproduce. Male frogs and toads release sperm over the eggs of female frogs or salamanders and this fertilizes them. The eggs are laid in water and the tadpoles are born in the water where they breathe with their gills until they develop lungs as an adult.
Amphibians are a key link between fish, land vertebrates and reptiles that include snakes, lizards, turtles and crocodiles. They lead “double lives” spending part of their time in water and the other on land. Their skin is also unique in that it is covered with horny epidermis or scales, which form armor.
How do Reptiles and Amphibians die?
A deadly fungus called chytrid has been killing amphibians across the globe. The fungus attacks the skin, making it impossible for amphibians to regulate water and salt absorption, resulting in fatal dehydration.
Reptiles are air-breathing vertebrates covered in special skin made up of scales or bony plates that helps them survive in hot, dry climates.
Amphibians are gill-breathing vertebrates that spend the majority of their lives in water. In their larval stage (as tadpoles), they also spend time on land.
Amphibians hatch from gelatinous eggs in ponds and other bodies of water, though some species give birth to live young. Add a garden pond to your yard to provide an outdoor habitat for amphibians and reptiles. Their presence will also help keep pests like mice and snakes under control.
