Amphibians vs Reptiles

Amphibians and reptiles are both cold-blooded species of vertebrates. Due to this trait, these creatures are unable to maintain their own body temperatures. They are dependent on external environmental factors in order to keep their body temperatures cool or warm. Since they are vertebrates, they all have backbones, just like human beings. But there are plenty of amphibians vs reptiles characteristics that enables one to distinguish between them.

These two species are distantly related to each other, but the difference between amphibians and reptiles in vast. Physical characteristics as well as the different life stages of the creature involved helps us to differentiate between the two. The most common amphibians are frogs, whereas the most common reptiles are snakes and crocodiles. Keeping this description in mind, the amphibians vs reptiles differentiation process becomes very simple. Herpetology is the term given to the study of amphibians and reptiles. On the entire planet there are about 4,500 species of amphibians and about 6,000 species of reptiles that can easily be found.

What is An Amphibian?
Amphibians are a species that consist of mainly three types of amphibians - frogs, salamanders and caecilians. The skin of these creatures is smooth and scaleless. The absence of water on their skin for a prolonged period of time can cause them to die. Since the water evaporates very easily off their smooth skins, they are mostly active at those times of the day when the weather is cool and the temperature is low. But the quality of their skin is such that they can derive moisture from many sources that are around them as well. But most common amphibians are found in water bodies. Their eggs cannot survive unless they are immersed in water. Read the following to learn more about amphibians.

• Amphibian facts
• Facts about early amphibians
• Facts and characteristics of amphibians
• Salamanders as pets
• Endangered amphibians

What is a Reptile?
Reptiles are considered to be the Earth's first terrestrial vertebrates. The dinosaurs that roamed the Earth many years ago were also reptiles. The most commonly found reptile species are snakes, crocodiles, alligators, lizards and turtles. Unlike amphibians, reptiles have scaly skin, and as a result of this they do not need to reside in water bodies to survive, unlike amphibians. Being able to live on land, their lung systems are also very well advanced and developed. Their eggs also do not need water bodies to survive, and their shells are much harder than those of amphibians. Read the following to learn more about reptiles.

• Characteristics of reptiles
• Facts about reptiles

Amphibians vs Reptiles Characteristics
Though it is easy to spot the difference between amphibians and reptiles, there are many intrinsic differences between the two species that can go unnoticed unless you informed in advance. Some of these noticeable amphibians vs reptiles differences are as follows.

Trait	Amphibian	Reptile
Method of breathing	Gills and lungs	Lungs
Self-defense	Toxic secretions by skin and biting	Claws, venomous biting and whipping tails
Eggs	Soft eggs surrounded by gel. Found in damp places or in water.	Hard and leathery eggs that are laid on land. Amniotic eggs.
Skin texture	Smooth, sticky, scaleless and moist. Presence of mucous glands.	Dry, hard and scaly. Presence of skin under the scales.
Chambers in heart	Three	Four
Examples	Frogs, toads, newts, salamanders	Snakes, crocodiles, lizards, turtles

Difference Between Amphibians and Reptiles
The best way to differentiate between amphibians and reptiles is by looking at their skin. Appearance wise, the creatures can look very similar, but only the examination of their skins can truly determine if a particular creature is an amphibian or a reptile. If the presence of scales is noted, then it is a reptile, but if the surface of the skin is smooth and shiny and there are no scales, it is an amphibian. Also look for legs on the creature. It is impossible to ascertain whether the creature is an amphibian or a reptile simply by seeing if it has legs or not. There are many kinds of amphibians as well as reptiles that have legs, as well as no legs.

Amphibians vs reptiles is a very interesting subject to study, and if you delve further you will successfully find a vast and varied range of species of both types. These creatures are commonly found on every continent, except for Antarctica. You are most likely to find both these species in damp areas like swamps and river beds, but they have many other natural habitats as well.