What is a herp?
Salamanders are amphibians with moist skin. This slender salamander is the most common herp found in Bay Area gardens.
Caecilians are a limbless amphibian that live underground.
Herp = reptile and amphibians
Long ago scientists lumped reptiles & amphibians into one group called herptiles. Although the two groups of animals are very different, we still use this grouping today.
This includes frogs, salamanders, caecilians, turtles, snakes, lizards, crocodilians & tuataras.
Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians. Herpetology comes from the Greek work herpetón, which means “creeping animal.”
Herps is short for herptiles, which refers all reptiles & amphibians.
Herping is the act of looking for herptiles.
Herpetologist is someone who studies herptiles.
Tuatara in the wild. Photo by Peter Alexander.
Tuataras are from a group of reptiles that thrived during the age of dinosaurs. Tuatara are the only species from this order that did not go extinct. They are found only on the island of New Zealand.