Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrate (has a backbone) animals. Reptiles are ectothermic, meaning that they rely on the Sun’s energy to heat them up and match the temperature in the air around them. When it is cold outside, reptiles become more inactive in order to maintain a body temperature and are very active when it warms up! Most reptiles have skin that is covered in scales or bony plates. Reptiles breathe using lungs and grow up on land. Examples of reptiles are snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. Amphibians are a group of animals that live part of their lives in water and part on land! They are cold-blooded, small invertebrates that need water or a moist environment to survive. Amphibians include frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians. They depend on the sun for warmth because they are ectothermic. Ectothermic means that they are not able to regulate their body temperature! Amphibians start their life cycle in water. They hatch from eggs, like birds and swim underwater with gills. Then, over time, they start growing lungs and start to move on land! They go through a change called metamorphosis, which means that they start at one different stage and end at a completely different stage! The word amphibian in Greek actually means “both forms of life” because they live in both land and water! That is what amphibians are!
