Definitions

Herps	Herpetos
amphibians and non-avian reptiles
Herp	Herpeto
an amphibian or a non-avian reptile to look for herps in the wild
Herpetology	Herpetología
the study of amphibians and non-avian reptiles
Herpetologist	Herpetólogo(a)
a person who studies herpetology
Herpetological	Herpetológico(a)
pertaining to herpetology
Herpetofauna	Herpetofauna
the species of herps in an ecosystem
Herping	Herpetear
the act of looking for herps in the wild
Herper	Herpetero(a)
a person who engages in herping
Herpetoculture	Herpetocultura
the keeping of herps in captivity
Herpetoculturist	Herpetoculturista
a person who engages in herpetoculture

Classification

Amphibians	Reptiles
	Non-Avian Reptiles	Avian Reptiles
Amphibians 8,786 species	Reptiles 12,263 species	Birds 11,145 species
Herps		Birds
Herpetology		Ornithology

As of October 2024, there are 21,049 described herp species worldwide. Herpetologists specifically study amphibians and non-avian reptiles. Ornithologists specifically study avian reptiles (birds). Bird phylogeny is actually within reptiles; crocodiles and dinosaurs are more closely related to birds than they are to squamates (lizards and snakes). Some herpetologists may also be ornithologists and also include birds in their area of expertise.

There are three groups of amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) and five groups of non-avian reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles, crocodilians, and the tuatara). Non-avian reptiles are simply called Reptiles, whereas avian reptiles are simply called Birds. Before 1861, humans lacked any evidence of how closely related birds and reptiles are, so it took many years for science to adapt.

AmphibiaWeb.org | number of amphibian species in October 2024 Reptile-Database.org | number of reptile species in August 2024 eBird.org | number of bird species in October 2024

There are 8 groups of herps in the world; no single country has all of the 8 groups present, however, Ecuador has all of them except for the tuatara. The tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus, is endemic to New Zealand and is the only known reptile whose males lack a penis. New Zealand has 5 of the 8 groups; there are no caecilians or crocodiles, and also no native species of salamanders. Contrary to popular belief, three species of sea snakes have been recorded in New Zealand, but there are no terrestrial snakes there. There used to be 9 groups of herps, but in 2024, the 203 species of amphisbaenians were reclassified as legless lizards. There were already several different groups of legless lizards.