Fun Facts about Reptiles and Amphibians

“It’s the cold-blooded

truth…”

Reptiles

Reptiles include snakes, lizards, turtles, and

crocodilians

Dry, scaly skin

Babies look like miniature adults when born

Breathe through lungs

Lay leathery eggs on

land

Snakes

Lizards

Turtles, Tortoises, and Terrapins

Crocodilians

Amphibians

Amphibians include frogs, toads,

salamanders, newts, and caecilians.

Smooth, moist skin

Lay soft eggs in water

Young undergo metamorphosis

Babies are tadpoles and breathe through

gills

Adults have lungs

Frogs

Toads

Salamander

Newt

Caecilians

Biggest (Most Massive) Reptile

The saltwater

crocodile from

Australia can grow to

be over 23 feet long

"Gomek" - one of the largest

saltwater crocodiles in captivity.

Image: Adam Britton

Smallest Reptile (and smallest lizard)

The British Virgin

Islands gecko is only

7/10 inches long

Jaragua lizard (adult female), from Beata

Island, on U.S. dime.

Photo credit: Copyright S. Blair Hedges

Fastest Reptile

The spiny-tailed

iguana has been

tracked at 21 mph

http://travel.mongabay.com/topics/n

ew/iguanas1.html

Longest Snake

The Reticulated Python has been recorded as being 32 feet in length!!

http://secw.bravepages.com/Chuck/scr/records.html

Largest/Heaviest Snake

The anaconda of

South America

http://pages.prodigy.net/anacond

a/2bigirl.jpg

Fastest-moving Snake

Probably the poisonous

black mamba

Dendroaspis polylepis. © 2005

David Bygott

World’s Largest Lizard

The Komodo dragon

can get up to 10 feet

long

www.keliling.com/komodo/d

ragon2.jpg

Biggest Turtle

The leatherback sea

turtle can grow up to

6.5 feet long and weigh

1,400 pounds

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2005/2005-04-

01-04.asp

Longest Reptile Lifespan

The tortoise (a land-

dweller)

The Galápagos

Tortoise has been

recorded living over

150 years!

http://bear.cba.ufl.edu/figlio/tortoise

.JPG

Most Poisonous Land Snake

The Inland taipan or Fierce snake (from Australia) has the most potent venom

A single bite from the Inland Taipan contains enough venom to kill as many as 100 human adults, or 250,000 mice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fierc

e_Snake

Only Poisonous Lizards

The Gila monster

The Beaded lizard

http://secw.bravepages.com/Chuck/scr/

records.html

Weirdest Reptile Ability

Horned lizards can

squirt a thin spray of

blood from their eyes

up to 3 feet away.

http://palaeoblog.blogspot.com/2006/02/horn

ed-lizard-blood-squirting-video.html

Only Amphibians to have Tentacles

Caecilians are legless

amphibians that we

know little about and

are still a large mystery

to this day

http://www.projectmosquitia.com/

Dermophis_mexicana.jpg

Best Jumpers

African frogs can leap

14 feet in a single

bound!

African Bullfrog

http://www.thelizardguys.com/ima

ges/Stash_409x307.JPG

Most Poisonous Animal

The golden poison

frog is considered to be

the most poisonous

animal in the world.

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich

.edu/site/resources/tanya_dewey/

goldenfrogs.jpg/medium.jpg

Not Hatched from an Egg

The fire salamander is

the only amphibian that

does not hatch from an

egg. Instead, the

babies develop inside

the mother’s body.

http://www.yale.edu/ceo/Projects/

Faculty/Fire_salamander.jpg

Facts made available from:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/r

eptiles/printouts.shtml

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/a-

reptiles.html

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/a-

amphibians.html