Herpetology (from
Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalia ...
" or "creeping animal") is the branch of
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, an ...
concerned with the study of
amphibians (including
frog
A frog is any member of a diverse and largely Carnivore, carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order (biology), order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-f ...
s,
toads,
salamander
Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. All t ...
s,
newts, and caecilians (
gymnophiona)) and
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalia ...
s (including
snake
Snakes are elongated, limbless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes . Like all other squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales. Many species of snakes have skulls with several more ...
s,
lizards,
amphisbaenids,
turtle
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...
s,
terrapins,
tortoises,
crocodilia
Crocodilia (or Crocodylia, both ) is an order of mostly large, predatory, semiaquatic reptiles, known as crocodilians. They first appeared 95 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period ( Cenomanian stage) and are the closest livi ...
ns, and the
tuataras).
Birds
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...
, which are
cladistically included within Reptilia, are traditionally excluded here; the scientific study of birds is the subject of
ornithology
Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and t ...
.
Thus, the definition of herpetology can be more precisely stated as the study of
ectothermic (cold-blooded) tetrapod
Tetrapods (; ) are four-limbed vertebrate animals constituting the superclass Tetrapoda (). It includes extant and extinct amphibians, sauropsids ( reptiles, including dinosaurs and therefore birds) and synapsids ( pelycosaurs, extinct t ...
s. Under this definition "herps" (or sometimes "herptiles" or "herpetofauna") exclude
fish
Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...
, but it is not uncommon for herpetological and
ichthyological scientific societies to collaborate. Examples include publishing joint
journals and holding
conferences
A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic.
Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main ...
in order to foster the exchange of ideas between the fields, as the
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists does. Many
herpetological societies have been formed to promote interest in reptiles and amphibians, both
captive and wild.
Herpetology offers benefits to
humanity
Humanity most commonly refers to:
* Humankind the total population of humans
* Humanity (virtue)
Humanity may also refer to:
Literature
* ''Humanity'' (journal), an academic journal that focuses on human rights
* ''Humanity: A Moral History of t ...
in the study of the role of amphibians and reptiles in
global ecology. Amphibians are often very sensitive to environmental changes, offering a visible warning to humans that significant changes are taking place. Some
toxins and
venoms produced by reptiles and amphibians are useful in
human medicine. Currently, some
snake venom
Snake venom is a highly toxic saliva containing zootoxins that facilitates in the immobilization and digestion of prey. This also provides defense against threats. Snake venom is injected by unique fangs during a bite, whereas some species are a ...
has been used to create
anti-coagulants
Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. Some of them occur naturally in blood-eating animals such as leeches and mosquitoes, where they ...
that work to treat
strokes and
heart attacks
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may ...
.
Naming and Etymology
The word ''herpetology'' is from
Greek: ἑρπετόν, ''herpetón'', "creeping animal" and , ''
-logia'', "knowledge". People with an avid interest in herpetology and who keep different reptiles or amphibians often refer to themselves as "herpers".
"Herp" is a vernacular term for non-avian
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalia ...
s and
amphibians. It is derived from the old term "herpetile", with roots back to
Linnaeus's classification of animals, in which he grouped reptiles and amphibians together in the same class. There are over 6700
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
of amphibians
and over 9000 species of reptiles.
In spite of its modern taxonomic irrelevance, the term has persisted, particularly in the names of herpetology, the scientific study of non-avian reptiles and amphibians, and
herpetoculture
Herpetoculture is the keeping of live reptiles and amphibians in captivity, whether as a hobby or as a commercial breeding operation. "Herps" is an informal term for both reptiles and amphibians, shortened from the scientific umbrella term “herpt ...
, the captive care and breeding of reptiles and amphibians.
Subfields
The field of herpetology can be divided into areas dealing with particular
taxonomic groups such as frogs (
batrachology),
snakes (ophiology or ophidiology), lizards (saurology) or
turtles
Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked tu ...
(cheloniology, chelonology or testudinology).
More generally, herpetologists work on functional problems in
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
,
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
,
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
,
behavior etc. of amphibians and reptiles. That is, they chose to use amphibians or reptiles as
model organisms for specific questions in these fields, such as the role of frogs in the ecology of a
wetland
A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (Anoxic waters, anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in t ...
. All of these areas are related through their evolutionary history, e.g. the evolution of
viviparity
Among animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. This is opposed to oviparity which is a reproductive mode in which females lay developing eggs that complete their development and hatch externally from the ...
(including behavior and
reproduction).
Careers
Career options in the field of herpetology include, but are not limited to
lab research,
field studies and survey, zoological staff, museum staff and college teaching.
In modern academic science, it is rare for individuals to consider themselves a herpetologist first and foremost. Most individuals focus on a particular field such as
ecology
Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
,
evolution
Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...
,
taxonomy,
physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemic ...
, or
molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and phys ...
, and within that field ask questions pertaining to or best answered by examining reptiles and amphibians. For example, an
evolutionary biologist who is also a herpetologist may choose to work on an issue such as the evolution of warning coloration in
coral snake
Coral snakes are a large group of elapid snakes that can be divided into two distinct groups, the Old World coral snakes and New World coral snakes. There are 16 species of Old World coral snakes, in three genera (''Calliophis'', ''Hemibungarus ...
s.
Modern herpetological writers include
Mark O'Shea and
Philip Purser. Modern herpetological showmen include
Jeff Corwin
Jeffrey Corwin (born July 11, 1967) is an American biologist and wildlife conservationist, known for hosting Disney Channel's '' Going Wild with Jeff Corwin'', ''The Jeff Corwin Experience'' on Animal Planet, ABC's '' Ocean Mysteries with Jef ...
,
Steve Irwin, popularly known as the "Crocodile Hunter", and the star
Austin Stevens
Austin Stevens (born 19 May 1950) is a South African-born Australian naturalist, herpetologist, wildlife photographer, documentarian, television personality, and author. He is best known as the host of the Animal Planet nature documentary seri ...
, popularly known as "Austin Snakeman" in the TV series ''Austin Stevens: Snakemaster''.
Study
Most colleges or universities do not offer a major in herpetology at the
undergraduate
Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...
or even the
graduate level. Instead, persons interested in herpetology select a major in the
biological sciences. The knowledge learned about all aspects of the
biology of animals is then applied to an individual study of herpetology.
Journals
Herpetology research is published in honour demic journals including ''
Ichthyology & Herpetology,'' founded in
1913 (under the name ''Copeia'' in honour of
Edward Drinker Cope
Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, Cope distinguished himself as a child prodigy interes ...
); ''
Herpetologica
''Herpetologica'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Allen Press on behalf of the Herpetologists' League covering herpetology. It was established in 1936 by Chapman Grant. The editor is Sarah K. Woodley (Duquesne Universi ...
,'' founded in
1936; ''Reptiles and amphibians'', founded in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicis ...
; and ''Contemporary Herpetology,'' founded in
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
.
See also
*
Herping
*
List of herpetologists
*
List of herpetology academic journals
*
Reptile Database
*
AmphibiaWeb
AmphibiaWeb is an American non-profit website that provides information about amphibians. It is run by a group of universities working with the California Academy of Sciences: San Francisco State University, the University of California at Berkel ...
References
Further reading
*Adler, Kraig (1989). ''Contributions to the History of Herpetology''. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
*Eatherley, Dan (2015). ''Bushmaster: Raymond Ditmars and the Hunt for the World's Largest Viper''. New York: Arcade. 320 pp. .
*
Goin, Coleman J.; Goin, Olive B.;
Zug, George R. (1978). ''Introduction to Herpetology, Third Edition''. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company. xi + 378 pp. .
External links
Iranian Herpetological Studies Institute (IHSI)Field Herpetology GuideAmerican Society of Ichthyologists and HerpetologistsHerpetological Conservation and BiologySocietas Europaea HerpetologicaDistribution Maps for European Reptiles and Amphibians
Center for North American Herpetologyover 500 species of reptiles and amphibians
European Field Herping CommunityNew Zealand HerpetologyChicago Herpetological SocietyBiology of the Reptiliais an online copy of the full text of a 22-volume 13,000-page summary of the state of research of reptiles.
HerpMapperis a database of
reptile
Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalia ...
and
amphibian sightings
Amphibian and Reptile Atlas of Peninsular California San Diego Natural History MuseumA Primer on Reptiles and AmphibiansField Herp Forum
{{Authority control
Subfields of zoology
Scoutcraft