Petrapedia
A herp is commonly referred to as a reptile or an amphibian. Herp is short for herpetofauna and comes from the Greek word herpes, which means crawling things or creeping animal. All herps are “cold-blooded” which means they lack an internal thermostat. Instead, they must regulate body heat through their interactions with the environment. Other names associated […]
The word amphibian can be broken up into two parts. “Amphi” meaning two, and “bian” meaning life. Combining both phrases means to have two lives. This is because the amphibians, in theory, live a double life. They start in life being as an aquatic gill-bearing living organism. Then, amphibians go on a metamorphosis journey, meaning […]
Reptiles and amphibians share some of the same characteristics, such as they are both cold-blooded animals and that they both have a backbone. However, there are four vast differences when it comes to reptiles and amphibians. Reptiles Scientific name: Reptilia Amphibians Scientific name: Amphibia Cold-Blooded (Ectothermic) Cold-Blooded means they rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature […]
Garter snakes are carnivores. They have a varied diet due to food being either scarce or abundant in the wild. Although they feed primarily on live animals, they also will eat eggs. Garter Snake Diet Slugs Earthworms (except red wrigglers) Leeches Lizards Frogs Frog eggs Minnows Small rodents What does Minnow mean? The word Minnow […]
When the temperature is perfect, you can find many snakes out in the open. During this time, the days are not too hot or too cold, but does this make the snake nocturnal? No, not all snakes are nocturnal. Snakes that live in areas with high daytime temperatures are mostly considered diurnal. However, you can […]
If you do a bit of research, you will find out that snakes are famous for eating bizarre things. Researchers have found elements, like light bulbs, golf balls, alligators, and pregnant sheep, in the snakes’ stomachs. Keeping this reputation in mind, it makes sense to question the feeding habits of the snakes. Let’s start with […]
Reptiles are vertebrate animals covered in unique skin that is made of plates or scales. Some reptiles come with a skin that is made of a combination of both. These air-breathing creatures shed the outer layer of the skin regularly. The metabolism of reptiles depends on the temperature of the environment. Unlike mammals and birds, […]
The faint banded sea snake is also known as one of the most poisonous snakes across the world. Also known as Belcher’s sea snake, the faint banded snake got its name from its discoverer, the famous British naval officer Admiral Sir Edward Belcher. In 1849, Edward was the first person to identify and name the snake. Years after […]
Tiger snakes are the members of the cobra family that resides mainly in Australia. The venom of the snake contains a nerve paralysing agent as well as a blood clotting one. Both of these agents are deadly for humans. If provoked, the tiger snakes also flatten their head and neck to intimidate the enemy, much […]
The saw-scaled viper is one of the small venomous snakes that live in parts of Central Asia and the Middle East. It is one of the relatively tiny snakes that has highly potent venom. The saw-scaled vipers are the minor representative of the Big Four Snakes, the four species of snakes cause the maximum snakebite […]