21 Amazing and Weird Facts about Amphibians and Reptiles

Did you know that a rattlesnake can still bite after it is dead? How about why you will never see a crocodile stick its tongue out at you, or why turtles do not need to see a dentist? You can find the answer below as well as some other amazing facts that you might not have known about reptiles and amphibians.

1 | Antarctica is the only continent that has no reptiles or snakes.

2 | Wasps and Bees kill approximately four times as many people in the United States each year than snakes.


3 | A snake living at the London Zoo was once fitted with a glass eye.

4 | Anacondas are not only the world’s largest snake, they are also one of the few species that give birth live. Females give birth to four to eighty young every year.

5 | Rattlesnake's are capable of striking for up to an hour after they die. Studies done by the California Academy Sciences in San Francisco have proven that the reflexes, possibly triggered by infrared sensors in the snake, are still active in the snake. Numerous cases have occurred where people have been bitten after decapitating or shooting the snake numerous times.

6 | The deadliest snake is not the most poisonous snake. Although the black mamba is far more poisonous, the Asian Cobra kills more people on average.

young chameleon catching insect with its tongue
Chameleon's have quite a unique way of catching their lunch


7 | Basilisk lizard's are very crafty about protecting itself from predators while it is sleeping. It usually chooses to sleep at the far end of a small branch that is hanging over a pond or lake. If a snake tries to crawl down the branch to grab it, the additional weight will cause the branch to move and shake the Basilisk safely off into the water.

8 | A chameleon’s color change is caused by its emotion, as well as light and temperature, and not by its background.

9 | Chameleons are capable of moving and focusing their eyes separately. This gives the ability to look in two different directions at the same time and focus on two separate objects.

10 | A chameleon’s tongue is at least as long as its body and capable of stretching to a length more than three times its body length to capture food. When it sees its prey, the chameleon’s tongue is catapulted out of its mouth at super speed and caught with the sticky tip of its tongue.


11 | Crocodiles swallow large stones that remain in the stomachs. The stones are used to help them digest their food as well as used as a ballast to help them dive deeper.

12 | Alligators and crocodiles will regrow new teeth to replace ones that are lost. During its lifetime, a crocodile will usually replace its teeth more than forty times.

13 | A crocodile's tongue is attached to the roof of his mouth, making him incapable of sticking his tongue out.


golden poison frog on mossy ground
Touch this Golden Arrow frog and it could be the last thing you do!

14 | The Goliath Frog from West Africa is the biggest of all frogs with a body size of 30cm, and thats not including legs!

15 | The Arrow Frog is the most poisonous frog in the world. One golden poison arrow frog has enough poison to kill ten to twenty humans.

16 | Frogs can glide: Although frogs are known for their jumping skills, some frogs have also developed the ability to fly. In actuality, these Southeast Asian frogs have flaps of skin between their toes that enable them to glide.

17 | The North American Wood Frog survives winters by freezing. When the temperature drops, the frog is capable of surrounding its organs with water that freezes. During this time, its heart stops beating, it stops breathing, and its kidneys shut down. The frog can stay in this suspended animation for months. When spring comes, the frog begins to thaw and is fully functional within ten hours.

18 | Male Surinam toad's attach the females eggs to the back of the female during spawning. The eggs are then absorbed by the spongy dorsal skin. Each egg is embedded into its own honeycomb-like chamber on the toad’s back. They remain there for up to twenty weeks before they emerge by pushing through their mother’s skin and emerging fully metamorphosed frogs.

19 | The "horned toad" is not a toad. It is not even a frog, it is a lizard. Some horned lizards are capable of squirting blood from their eyes when angry.

20 | The bullfrog is believed to be the only animal that never sleeps or even profoundly rests. If you have ever tried to sleep next to a pond, this fact does not seem that unbelievable.

21 | Turtles, toads, and tortoises do not have teeth. Some frogs are also toothless, but most have small cone teeth called maxillary teeth.

So, now you know why it is safer to hang around toads than rattlesnakes—even dead rattlesnakes. Just make sure you stay away from frogs.