Amphibians and Reptiles:
An Introduction to
Herpetofauna
Compiled by the Davidson College
Herpetology Laboratory
Hognose Snake
Green Tree Frog
Herpetofauna
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Amphibians
Reptiles
Important to their environment
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Why?
Painted Turtle hatchlings
Green Salamander
Ringneck Snake
Amphibians
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Skin
Breathe through their skin
 Must stay moist
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Good sense of smell
Food:
Bullfrog
Spotted Salamander
Insects
 Anything that will fit into their
mouths
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Grey Tree Frog
Amphibian Life Cycle
Upland Chrous Frog
Frog Eggs
Pine Woods Tree Frog Tadpole
Spring Peeper
Cricket Frog
Spring Peeper Metamorph
Frogs
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Good jumpers
Tadpoles as babies
Lose their tails as adults
Spring Peeper
Spring Peeper tadpole
Southern Leopard Frog
Upland Chorus Frog
Toads
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Similar to frogs
Warty skin
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Gland behind their
eye secretes poison
American Toad
Fowler’s Toad
Salamanders
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Some have lungs
Some don’t have lungs
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Dusky Salamander
Breathe entirely through their skin
Lay eggs in a variety of habitats
Land
 Stream
 Wetland
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Spotted Salamander
Red Salamander
Slimy Salamander
Reptiles
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Alligator
Turtles
Lizards
Snakes
Give birth to live young or lay terrestrial
eggs with leathery shells
River Cooters
Copperhead
American Alligator
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Have scales or scutes
Ringneck Snake
Green Anole
American Alligator
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Only one species of crocodiles or alligators in
North Carolina
American Alligators
Turtles
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Backbone attached to shell
Omnivorous: Will eat plants or animals
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Particularly likes insects and worms
Found in 3 habitats
Yellowbelly Sliders
Eastern Painted Turtle
What type of turtle would you find in
the ocean?
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Sea Turtles
All species are
endangered.
Crush from Finding
Nemo
Olive Ridley Sea Turtles
Ponds and Rivers
Eastern Painted Turtle
Bog Turtle
Eastern Mud Turtle
Snapping Turtle
Common Musk Turtle
Your Backyard
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Box Turtle!
Lizards
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Many different species
A lot of islands have species that cannot be
found anywhere else on earth
Five-Lined Skink
Broadhead Skink
Ground Skink
Fence Lizard
Snakes
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Snakes can be venomous and dangerous, but
most are not
Snakes don’t have legs
Shed their skin
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Scarlet Kingsnake
Black Racer
Ringneck Snake
Snake Feeding
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Eat only animals
Swallow their food whole
Can eat animals bigger than
themselves
2 main methods
Constriction
 Venom
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Scarlet Kingsnake swallowing a Green Anole
Eastern Diamondback
Rattlesnake swallowing
a Cottontail Rabbit
Conservation
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Problem:
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Fewer amphibians and reptiles exist today than did in
the past
Bog Turtle
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Spring Salamander
Spring Peeper
Timber Rattlesnake
More amphibians are endangered than any birds
or mammals
What can you do to help?
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Watch, but don’t touch or keep
any amphibians or reptiles you
find.
If you find an amphibian or
reptile, let your parents know.
Don’t kill snakes
Don’t release any amphibian or
reptile pet into the wild
Photo by K. Cecala
Photos by L.
Harshaw
Questions?
Corn Snake