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Herpetology (from Greek
Ancient greek language

#REDIRECT Ancient Greek...
: ??pet??, herpeton, "creeping animal" and , -logia
-logy

-logy is a suffix in English language, found in words originally adapted from Ancient Greek words ending in -????a . The earliest English examples were anglicizations of the French language -logie, which was in turn inherited from the Latin language -logia....
) is the branch of zoology
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
 concerned with the study of amphibian
Amphibian

Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form....
s (including the frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophionae) and of reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids
Amphisbaenia

The Amphisbaenia are a suborder of usually legless squamates closely related to lizards and snakes. As many species possess a pink body coloration and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms....
, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras
Tuatara

The tuatara is a reptile endemism to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia....
).

Herpetology is concerned with poikilothermic, or ectothermic, tetrapods. "Herps" (or sometimes "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") include reptiles and amphibians, but exclude fish.






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Herpetology (from Greek
Ancient greek language

#REDIRECT Ancient Greek...
: ??pet??, herpeton, "creeping animal" and , -logia
-logy

-logy is a suffix in English language, found in words originally adapted from Ancient Greek words ending in -????a . The earliest English examples were anglicizations of the French language -logie, which was in turn inherited from the Latin language -logia....
) is the branch of zoology
Zoology

Zoology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of animals. The most common pronunciation of "zoology" is ; however, an alternative pronunciation is ....
 concerned with the study of amphibian
Amphibian

Amphibians , such as frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and caecilians, are cold-blooded animals that metamorphose from a juvenile, water-breathing form to an adult, air-breathing form....
s (including the frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophionae) and of reptile
Reptile

Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia, are air-breathing, cold-blooded vertebrates that have skin covered in scale as opposed to hair or feathers....
s (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids
Amphisbaenia

The Amphisbaenia are a suborder of usually legless squamates closely related to lizards and snakes. As many species possess a pink body coloration and scales arranged in rings, they have a superficial resemblance to earthworms....
, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras
Tuatara

The tuatara is a reptile endemism to New Zealand which, though it resembles most lizards, is actually part of a distinct lineage, order Sphenodontia....
).

Herpetology is concerned with poikilothermic, or ectothermic, tetrapods. "Herps" (or sometimes "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") include reptiles and amphibians, but exclude fish. However, it is not uncommon for herpetological and ichthyological
Ichthyology

Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish. This includes skeletal fish , cartilaginous fish , and jawless fish . At least 30,700 fish species have been described, comprising a majority of vertebrates....
 scientific societies to "team up", publishing joint journals and holding conferences in order to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields. One of the most prestigious organizations, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists

The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists is an international organization devoted to the scientific studies of ichthyology and herpetology ....
, is an example of this.

Herpetology offers benefits to humanity in the study of the role of amphibians and reptiles in global ecology
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
, especially because amphibians are often very sensitive to environmental changes, offering a visible warning to humans that significant changes are taking place. Some toxins and venoms produced by reptiles and amphibians are useful in human medicine. Currently, some snake venom has been used to create anti-coagulants that work to treat stroke victims and heart attack cases.

People with an avid interest in herpetology and who keep different reptiles or amphibians, often refer to themselves as "herpers." Many herpetological societies
Herpetological society

Herpetological society is a commonly used term for a club or organized group of Portal:Amphibians_and_Reptiles enthusiasts. The term is derived from herpetology - the branch of zoology dealing with the study of those organisms....
 exist today having been formed to promote interest in reptiles and amphibians both captive and wild.

Careers

There are many careers in the field of herpetology. These include, but are not limited to, field research, public and private breeding, zoological staff or curating, museum staff or curating and college teaching.

Those wishing to pursue a career in herpetology must have a strong science and math background. Few universities offer this program, and thus it is a highly competitive field.

In modern academic science, it is rare for individuals to consider themselves a herpetologist first and foremost. Most individuals focus on a particular field such as ecology
Ecology

Ecology is the science study of the distribution and Abundance of life and the interactions between organisms and their nature environment ....
, evolution
Evolution

In biology, evolution is change in the heritability trait of a population of organisms from one generation to the next. These changes are caused by a combination of three main processes: variation, reproduction, and selection....
, taxonomy
Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek language ', taxis and ', nomos .Taxonomies, or taxonomic schemes, are composed of taxonomic units known as taxa , or kinds of things that are arranged frequently in a hierarchical structure....
, physiology
Physiology

Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. Physiology has traditionally been divided between plant physiology and animal and all living things physiology but the principles of physiology are universal, no matter what particular organism is being studied....
, or molecular biology
Molecular biology

Molecular biology is the study of biology at a molecule level. The field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry....
, and within that field ask questions pertaining to or best answered by examining reptiles and amphibians. For example, an evolutionary biologist who is also a herpetologist may choose to work on how warning coloration evolved in coral snakes.

External links


  • distribution maps for European reptiles and amphibians
  • over 500 species of reptiles and amphibians