Purchasing, adopting, or acquiring a new animal, whether it be a reptile, amphibian, or invertebrate is always a new and exciting experience, as we all hope and look forward to the new challenges and responsibilities surrounding that animal.

What is “environmental education” and why is it important? And how can amphibians and reptiles tie into and play a role in this educational field?

Perhaps one of the worst things any pet owner or herp (reptile and amphibian) hobbyist, breeder, or enthusiast can experience is discovering that their newly acquired animal, or collection of animals, has snake mites.

Unlike these other groups of animals, however, reptiles undergo and exhibit “indeterminate growth”, meaning that these animals never fully stop growing throughout their lives, and their frequency of shedding of their skins is more often than not determined by the animal’s age or life stage, overall food and resource availability, and other environmental conditions.

The Top Ten Beginner’s Reptiles Turtle and Tortoise Edition!

There are perhaps few other animals that inspire as much awe, inspiration, or are as revered throughout the world as “giant snakes”, or which are otherwise commonly known as the “large constrictors”.

When it comes to groups of animals known for their calls, or other vocalizations leading to making their presence easily known and detectable, reptiles and amphibians might not be the first group to come to mind.

Salmonella is a genus of primarily rod shaped bacteria found worldwide, with two species being known, Salmonella enterica and Salmonella bongori, which is by far the more commonly seen species in the digestive tracts, as well as on or in the skin, scales, food, and water of captive reptiles and amphibians, as well as other animals.

But what if we dug a little deeper into our beloved snakes, beneath their skin and scales, to examine their actual internal anatomy and structure? What organs and organ systems do they have, or not? How are they similar and different from our own, or mammals in general? What purposes and functions do they serve?