Spring is just around the corner! This is the time when reptiles and amphibians reemerge from their wintery shelters and become active again. This month, slither into the study of herpetology—the science of reptiles and amphibians. Learn about vernal pools, a critical habitat for our cold-blooded friends. Where did the word herpetology come from? And what can we learn from monitoring vernal pools in the spring? Creep, crawl, and slide into these seasonal activities to find out!

Museum@Home is issued twice a month. The Family Edition is issued on the first Wednesday of the month, and the Adult Edition on the third Wednesday.  

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What is Herpetology?

Audience: Children and Family
Grades: K-12
Duration: 3 minutes

Herpetology comes from the Greek root herpeton, meaning “creeping animal” and is a special term for the study of reptiles and amphibians. But why are these seemingly different groups of organisms studied together? This video, recently retired from the Nature Investigate Lab’s Research Highlights exhibit, answers that question and more.

Want to learn more? Check out Project: MORPH—a student-led collaboration between Alison Davis Rabosky’s lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the U-M Museum of Natural History that makes museum specimens and cutting-edge herpetological research fun and accessible.

Click Here To View The University of Michigan Museum of Natural History - Museum at Home: Family - March 1, 2023