We’ve all seen frogs, snakes, and salamanders. But, which of these and other similar creatures belong to the reptile family and which to the amphibian family? Here, conservation expert Phillip Elden helps to clarify the confusion.
According to Phillip Elden, reptiles and amphibians share many similar characteristics. There’s no denying that salamanders and lizards look almost exactly alike. But, they are not. A salamander is an amphibian while a lizard is a reptile. So what’s the difference? The biggest is their relationship with water.
Phillip Elden explains that amphibians must live in or within close proximity to a body of water. This is because they spend much of their life, and especially the early stages, living in or under water. Amphibians lay their eggs in water, and they live there exclusively for some time. Reptiles, on the other hand, live near but not in water.
There is a difference between the skin of amphibians and reptiles as well, says Phillip Elden. Reptiles are scaly, and their skin was developed so that they could thrive in dry, hot climates. Amphibians have much more delicate and smooth skin. In fact, the skin of an amphibian is not meant to be in a dry climate, and they can actually breathe through their skin when it is moist.
Phillip Elden notes that reptiles are typically not sensitive to pollution and toxicity, where amphibians are. Another major difference in reptilian creatures and amphibians is that amphibians cannot live in saltwater, but reptiles can.
Phillip Elden says the biggest difference between the two types of species is most evident in their egg stage. While both lay eggs, amphibian eggs look a bit like clear Jell-O. The babies that hatched from these must undergo a lengthy metamorphosis. Reptiles are born as miniature versions of their adult counterparts.
Something that all animals in both classes share is that they are vertebrates. This means that all amphibians and all reptiles have a backbone. They are also ectothermic; this means their body temperature adapts based on the environment.
