Amphibian vs reptile: what’s the difference?

Many people confuse amphibians and reptiles, or bunch them together. But while they share some similarities they have more very clear differences, as this expert guide explains.

Amphibians and reptiles are two very distinct groups of animals, yet they are often confused for each other or thought to be the same thing.

Individuals from each group might look very similar, for example newts and lizards, but in reality, there are far more differences than people realise. Most people assume that the difference is an aquatic lifestyle, but it’s more complicated than that says Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

Are there any similarities between amphibians and reptiles?

The main features that amphibians and reptiles share is that they are both vertebrates (animals that have an endoskeleton) and are both ‘cold-blooded’ or ectothermic. Many people think that amphibians and reptiles look very similar as they both lack the fur that most mammals have, or feathers like birds.

They also have similar behaviour in the wild as they need to bask in warm, sunny spots to heat up their bodies, and in many regions both groups hibernate for the winter. This makes them quite distinct from other vertebrate animals. Both groups are also found in similar habitats in the UK – they can often be found underneath or basking on top of rocks, logs or other sheltered environments.

Frogs and toads are amphibians, more specifically a branch of the amphibian evolutionary tree called ‘anurans’. They are separated from the modern reptile branch of the evolutionary tree – the ‘squamates’ – by around a million years of evolution.

There are a couple of clear differences between amphibians and reptiles, from their anatomy to their behaviours and development cycles.

Key conservation issues facing amphibians

main Threats to amphibians

In recent years, scientists have become increasingly aware of a worldwide decline in the numbers of frogs. Frogs are disappearing in Australia.

Eight frog species have become extinct in the last 25 years, and several more are likely to become extinct in the near future.

Main threats are: pollution, introduced fish species, habitat loss, cane toads, frogchytrid fungus

Working with amphibians – Jodi Rowley

I am the Curator of Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Biology, leading the Herpetology department, at the Australian Museum Research Institute, Australian Museum & Centre for Ecosystem Science, UNSW Sydney.

I am a biologist with a focus on amphibian diversity, ecology and conservation, and a passion for communicating biodiversity conservation.

My research seeks to uncover and document biodiversity, understand its drivers, and inform conservation decisions.

I focus on amphibians because they have the greatest levels of undocumented diversity of any terrestrial vertebrate group, perform irreplaceable functions in many ecosystems and are being lost at an unprecedented rate.

sources: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/amphibians/amphibian-vs-reptile-whats-the-difference; https://australian.museum/get-involved/staff-profiles/jodi-rowley/

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