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| What are Reptiles and Amphibians? |
| Although they look very similar and sometimes hard to distinguish, reptiles and amphibians are actually two separate classes of animals found within the Animal Kingdom. Both are known as vertebrates, which are animals with backbones. Due to their genetic structure reptiles and amphibians do not have the ability to keep their bodies warm with their own body heat. They must rely on their environment to generate heat which is passed through their layer of smooth or scaly skin. They may then have a chance of becoming overheated if the surrounding temperature becomes too high. Neither reptiles nor amphibians have the ability to remain active in the freezing temperatures and are forced into hibernation. Since they don’t have to disburse a lot of energy maintaining a warm body temperature, they can survive long periods of time without food. Evolving from fish nearly 300 million years ago, the ancestors of our present day amphibians, were the first animals with backbones to spend part of their lives out of the water. Due to the lack of competition and vast amount of land to populate, amphibians dominated the earth as they expanded into many species which each have their own distinct adaptive characteristics. One thing that remains the same since they first walked on land is that they must always return to the water to reproduce. Reptiles evolved from amphibians millions of years later as the first animal able to live on land without the essential dependence on water. As a result they were able to colonize the earth far greater than the amphibians. Over time the reptiles evolved into several different species and reached their peak as the most dominant animals on earth during the dinosaur age. |
| The Differences Between Reptiles and Amphibians |
| A reptile’s skin is at least partly covered by scales or bony plates and is very dry in texture where as an amphibian’s skin is smooth and moist which is used for drinking and breathing. Reptiles are born from eggs as miniature versions of their parents on land but amphibians are born in the water in eggs which then hatches into a larval stage. |
| Reptiles and Amphibians in Algonquin Highland Region |
| Due to the colder climate and higher elevation of the region, the general population of both reptiles and amphibians tends to be lower than the warmer areas to the south. There is however a variety of these cold-blooded creatures that are able to survive hibernation through the winter. |
| Reptile and Amphibian Names |
| The Latin and English names used in this site follow the structure given in the Checklist of Amphibians and Reptiles of Canada (Canadian Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Society Bulletin, December 1980) by Francis R. Cook. |
| amphibians: frogs/toads salamanders reptiles: snakes turtles |
