Why should we care about amphibians and reptiles?
If you have ever been out exploring a river or lake and flipped over a log you have probably come across an amphibian or reptile. These slimy and scaly creatures are all around us whether you know it or not! What are amphibians and reptiles you may ask? They are both really cool species of wildlife that play a very important role in the ecosystems they are in. Without them, our world might be overrun with pesky insects and rodents.
Amphibians are small vertebrates (which means they have backbones) that need water, or a moist environment, to survive. The different species in this group include frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. They are unique because they can all breathe and absorb water through their very thin skin. We have to drink water through our mouth to survive but they can drink water through their skin! Amphibians also have special skin glands that can transport water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide either into or out of them. Their skin can also fight off bacteria or fungal infections or be used as a defense mechanism by secreting toxins!
Another special feature of most amphibians is their egg to larva to adult life cycle. The larvae hatch from eggs and are aquatic and free-swimming called tadpoles. Then the young grow and start to develop limbs and lungs. Some also lose their tails. Eventually, they hop or climb out of the water as adults and spend the rest of their lives on land. This life-cycle is known as metamorphosis. Like reptiles, amphibians are also cold-blooded. Because of their special skin, they require very specific living conditions. If they get too much sun or wind it can dry their skin and dehydrate the animal. Amphibians are considered indicator species because they are the first to die off when their habitats are disturbed or contaminated with chemicals like weed killers. This shows scientists if an ecosystem is healthy or not. Amphibians are facing many threats to their survival. Chytrid fungus is disease destroying populations of frogs and other amphibians around the world. They are also affected by habitat loss, pollution, pesticides, roads through habitat, competition from invasive species and climate change.
Similar to amphibians but not quite the same are reptiles. Reptiles are snakes, turtles, tortoises, and lizards. They are cold-blooded vertebrates, with dry skin that is covered in scales or plates. Reptiles are different from amphibians because they lay eggs on land, not in water. Some reptiles like snakes and lizards are able to live in really dry and hot climates and others, like turtles, have to live in wet environments. A lot of people are scared of reptiles but they are actually really important for the ecosystem and most are harmless to humans! Most reptiles eat insects and small animals like mice, birds, frogs, and fish. The main causes of declines in reptiles are habitat loss and fragmentation, flood control activities, changes in agricultural and land management practices, predation from introduced species, road mortalities, water pollution and pesticide use.
So, what can you do to conserve amphibians and reptiles? Avoid using poisons and other chemicals around your home, try not to pick up and take these critters home with you because they belong in the wild where they eat the pests we don’t like, and if you have to pick up or move an amphibian make sure you clean and wet your hands first so you don’t put harmful chemicals on their bodies like lotion or salts. In the lesson content below, you will learn more about reptiles and amphibians, what they do in the ecosystem, which ones you can find in this area, and why they are important. You will also get to define some very important terms, create a field journal, and then participate in a fun activity! By the end of the lesson you should have lots of knowledge to answer the question above!
Vocabulary
Metamorphosis
The life cycle of amphibians. An egg is laid in the water, it hatches and grows into a tadpole with a tail and gills, then it grows more and becomes a tadpole with two legs, then a tadpole with four legs and a long tail, then it starts to lose its tail and gills and develop lungs to breath air, then it leaves the water as a full-grown frog.
Cold-blooded
Amphibians and reptiles cannot regulate their body temperature like mammals. To warm up they have to sit in the sunshine, or to cool down they have to sit in the shade. They must warm up or cool down using their surroundings.
Indicator Species
They are extremely sensitive to changes in the environment and can give scientists valuable insight into how an ecosystem is functioning.
Amphibian
Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrate animals of a class that comprises the frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders. They are distinguished by having an aquatic gill-breathing larval stage followed (typically) by a terrestrial lung-breathing adult stage.
Reptile
Reptiles are vertebrates that include includes snakes, lizards, crocodiles, turtles, and tortoises. They have dry scaly skin and typically lay soft-shelled eggs on land.
Focus Questions
How do reptiles and amphibians benefit the ecosystem?
What are the differences between reptiles and amphibians?
Native Amphibian ID:
Go to http://fieldguide.mt.gov/ for a full field guide of Montana specific wildlife, plants, invasive species and more!
Western Tiger Salamander
Tiger salamanders are black with a yellow-green color spotted on them! You can find them in virtually any habitat, as long as there is soil or sand for burrowing in and a body of water nearby.
Long-toed Salamander
Long-toed salamanders are black with a yellow stripe from there head down to the tip of their tail. The fourth toe on their hind foot is longer than all the other toes. You can find them in a wide variety of habitats including semi-arid sagebrush, alpine meadows, dry woodlands, humid forests, rocky shores of mountain lakes, and disturbed agricultural areas under rocks, logs and other things near water.
Chorus Frog
Chorus frogs are a tan-brown color or sometimes green. They often have darker brown patches on their bodies and a dark stripe that runs down their bodies from their nose to their rear. They also barely have any webbing between their toes. They are a small frog often found close to water in grasslands, shrublands, and forest. The adults are also freeze tolerant!
Leopard Frog
The backs of leopard frogs are often a green or brown color covered in large, dark oval spots that are outlined in a lighter color. You can find them in beaver ponds, lakes, creeks, and springs or really most areas with water. They prefer being in low elevation areas rather than high elevation mountain areas.
Bull Frog
Bull frogs are non-native invasive species. These are often very large frogs and their color ranges from pale green, dark olive, to dark mottling. They don’t have many spots on them, just black ones on their legs that sometimes are on their sides and back. They prefer permanent water bodies that are warm.
Western Toad
Toads have dry warty skin that is dark brown or olive colored. The warts are sometimes a reddish-brown color and circled by a darker color. Older toads have a white stripe the extends down their back. They can be found in a wide variety of habitats, including desert springs streams, meadows, woodlands, mountain wetlands, beaver ponds, marshes, ditches, and shallow backwater channels of rivers.
Native Reptile ID:
Garter Snake
Garter snakes are nonvenomous and can be anywhere from 16 to 42 inches long. The snakes have either three yellow stripes and a black stripe with red dots between the yellow stripes running down their body or the same stripe pattern but no red dots. They can be found in most habitats but are most common at low elevations around water.
Prairie Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are venomous and can be anywhere from 15 to 60 inches long. They have a triangular shaped head. They range from a pale green to brown color with brown or black blotches that have a dark then light ring around them. They prefer habitats such as open and arid country but can also be found in ponderosa pine stands and some coniferous forests.
Bullsnake or Gophersnake
Bullsnakes are nonvenomous and can be anywhere from 3 to 5 feet long. Their background color is a tan yellow color that has brown blotches running all the way down the back. The blotches turn more into black stripes in the tail. Bullsnakes are often confused as rattlesnakes because they look fairly similar. Bullsnakes are found in dry habitats and open pine forests.
Painted Turtle
Painted turtles are aquatic and have an upper shell that is olive to black colored. Their head, neck, and legs are all marked with yellow lines and a red spot behind the eye. The lower shell is covered in bright yellow and red markings. They can be found in lakes and ponds that contain some shallow water areas and a soft bottom.
Lesson Content
Cold-Blooded vs Warm-Blooded
In these lessons learn about how cold-blooded animals survive the cold and the difference between cold and warm-blooded! How do you survive in the cold?
Best for grades 3-8
Best for grades K-3
Amphibians
In these lessons learn about amphibians, their importance, and what is happening to them! Why should we care about amphibians?
Best for grades K-3
Best for grades 3-5
Best for grades 5-8
Reptiles
In these lessons learn about reptiles and what makes them unique! What reptiles have you seen before?
Best for grades K-3
Best for grades 3-5
Best for grades 5-8
Snakes
In these lessons learn about snakes and why they are important! What snakes have you seen before?
Best for grades K-5
Best for grades K-3
Best for grades 5-8
Turtles
In this lesson learn all about turtles and their importance! Why are turtles considered reptiles and not amphibians?
Best for grades K-8
Salamanders
In these lessons learn about salamanders, what makes them unique, and how you can protect them! What ways can you help protect salamanders?
Best for grades K-5
Best for grades 5-8
Activities
1. Paper Plate Snake
Make a snake out of a paper plate: First color with markers or paint the entire front of a paper plate and let it dry.
Next, starting at the outside edge, begin cutting around the plate to create a spiral, turning as you cut. When you get to the inside, cut the end to make it look like the snake’s head. Add stickers or glitter to the snake, then poke a hole in the head and tie on a piece of string to hang it from the ceiling.
If you are studying specific types of snakes, you could make each snake with the unique markings that distinguish it from the others.
2. FrogWatch USA Citizen Science Data Project
FrogWatch USA is AZA's citizen science program and provides individuals, groups, and families opportunities to learn about wetlands in their communities by reporting on the calls of local frogs and toads.
To learn more about how you can join, go to https://www.aza.org/frogwatch and learn how to become a trained volunteer so you can take students and groups out to do citizen science monitoring and contribute to conservation
Field Journal Prompts
Write a few sentences and/or draw a picture to show how much you learned!
1. Why is it important to conserve reptiles and amphibians?
2. What does it mean to be cold-blooded?
3. What makes amphibians and reptiles different? What makes them similar?