Herps · Wetlands · Forest
Reptiles & Amphibians
Reptiles and amphibians span snakes, lizards, crocodilians, turtles, frogs and salamanders — cold-blooded vertebrates facing habitat loss, wildlife trade and wetland drainage. This hub links 20 WARN guides and answers on colour change, species comparisons and conservation status.
- 40%
- Approximate share of amphibian species assessed as threatened — IUCN Source: IUCN Red List
- 200+
- Chameleon species — Madagascar holds exceptional diversity
- CITES
- Regulates international trade in many reptiles — Appendix I bans commercial trade for most threatened species
Quick answers
- What is the difference between a frog and a toad? “Toad” usually means a frog in the family Bufonidae — typically drier, bumpier skin and shorter hops. “Frog” is the wider group; all toads are frogs, but not all frogs are toads. The distinction is informal, not a strict scientific split.
- What is the difference between a snake and a lizard? Snakes are legless reptiles in the suborder Serpentes; most lizards have four legs (though some legless lizards exist). Snakes lack eyelids and external ear openings; lizards usually have both. Jaw structure also differs — snakes can swallow prey much wider than their head.
- How do chameleons change color? Chameleons change colour by adjusting nanocrystals in skin cells called iridophores — not primarily by expanding pigment sacs as once taught. Shifts reflect mood, temperature and social signals more often than background matching. True camouflage is secondary to communication.
- Are crocodiles dinosaurs? No — but crocodiles and dinosaurs share a common ancestor in the archosaur group. Crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, gharials) are living relatives of dinosaurs, not dinosaurs themselves.
Species guides
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Not Evaluated
Snake
Snakes are legless reptiles (suborder Serpentes) with about 3,900 species worldwide — mostly harmless, ecologically important predators whose conservation status varies; this hub is distinct from species guides like the grass snake.
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Not Evaluated
Chameleon
A chameleon is an arboreal lizard of the family Chamaeleonidae, with around 200 species, about half found only in Madagascar. They are known for independently moving eyes, a fast projectile tongue, gripping feet, a prehensile tail and colour change used mainly for communication and temperature control.
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Endangered
Komodo Dragon
A Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the world's largest living lizard, a venomous monitor species native to a few islands in eastern Indonesia that can grow to about 3 metres long and 70-90 kilograms.
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Not Evaluated
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) is the world's largest living reptile, found in the estuaries and mangroves of Southeast Asia and Australasia; it is listed as Least Concern globally by the IUCN, though some local populations remain depleted.
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Vulnerable
Frog
A frog is a tailless amphibian of the order Anura, a group of over 7,700 species worldwide that begins life as an aquatic tadpole and is widely used as a bioindicator of environmental health.
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Not Evaluated
Turtle
Turtles (order Testudines) are ~360 species of shelled reptiles — sea turtles, freshwater terrapins and land tortoises — many Vulnerable to Critically Endangered from trade, bycatch and habitat loss.
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Not Evaluated
Gecko
Geckos are gekkotan lizards with ~1,500 species worldwide — nocturnal climbers often with adhesive toe pads and vocal calls — ecologically valuable insect predators threatened locally by habitat loss and trade.
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Not Evaluated
Monitor Lizard
Monitor lizards (genus Varanus) comprise ~80 species including the Komodo dragon — intelligent predatory reptiles of Africa, Asia and Australasia threatened by trade, hunting and habitat loss.
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Not Evaluated
Crocodile
Crocodilians are ~26 species of large aquatic reptiles — crocodiles, alligators, caimans and gharials — with status from Least Concern to Critically Endangered; WARN covers saltwater crocodile and alligator in detail.
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Not Evaluated
Alligator
Alligators are broad-snouted crocodilians with two living species — the recovered American alligator of the US South-east and the Critically Endangered Chinese alligator of the Yangtze — both vital wetland predators whose status ranges from Least Concern to Critically Endangered.
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Not Evaluated
Common Toad
A toad is a tail-less amphibian, typified by the common toad (Bufo bufo), with dry, warty skin, short legs and toxin-secreting parotoid glands behind the eyes. Unlike frogs, toads usually walk rather than leap, live mostly on land, and return to ponds each spring to breed.
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Near Threatened
Salamander
Salamanders are tailed amphibians of order Caudata; the fire salamander (Salamandra salamandra) is Near Threatened in Europe, threatened by Bsal fungus linked to the pet trade, while many species face habitat loss and overharvesting.
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Not Evaluated
Newt
A newt is a small semi-aquatic salamander in the subfamily Pleurodelinae. Newts alternate between water and land, breeding in ponds in spring and feeding on insects and other invertebrates. They are famous for regenerating lost limbs and organs, and many produce defensive skin toxins.
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Not Evaluated
Iguana
An iguana is a large, mostly herbivorous, tree-dwelling lizard of the Americas. The familiar green iguana (Iguana iguana) reaches about 1.7 metres including its long tail, sports a spiny crest and throat dewlap, and is listed as Least Concern, though several other iguana species are endangered.
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Not Evaluated
Cobra
Cobras are hooded venomous elapid snakes of Africa and Asia — including true cobras (Naja) and the king cobra — neurotoxic predators vital for rodent control but threatened by persecution and habitat loss.
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Not Evaluated
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are American pit vipers (~36 species) with tail rattles and heat-sensing pits — venomous rodent controllers whose status varies from Least Concern to Endangered.
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Not Evaluated
Python
Pythons are egg-laying constrictors (family Pythonidae) with ~40 species in Africa, Asia and Australia — non-venomous snakes threatened by skin trade, exotic pet demand and habitat loss.
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Not Evaluated
Green Anaconda
A Green Anaconda (Eunectes murinus) is a large, non-venomous, semi-aquatic constrictor snake from tropical South America that is the heaviest snake in the world, killing prey by coiling and squeezing rather than biting.
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Not Evaluated
Tortoise
Tortoises (family Testudinidae) are fully terrestrial reptiles found across warm regions worldwide; over 86% of species are threatened or extinct, driven by illegal trade, habitat loss, and the pet industry.
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Not Evaluated
Caiman
Caimans are freshwater crocodilians native to Central and South America, with the spectacled caiman being the world's most numerous crocodilian — estimated at over one million mature individuals by the IUCN and listed as Least Concern.