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What is the difference between reptiles and amphibians?
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| Differences
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The word "amphibians" contains "amphi" which means double or two sides. The
"bians" part refers to "bio",which means life. Thus, the word points to the
fact that amphibians lead a double life, which in their case means that they
live both in water and on land (frogs, for example).
Reptiles, however, are restricted to living on land, since all throughout
their lives they are air-breathing creatures; this fact doesn't limit their
watery excursions, though.
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| Habitat
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Because of its climate and geographical variety as well as its strategic
location, Costa Rica offers an immense variety of flora and fauna. Among
the abundant fauna are 160 species of amphibians and 200 species of reptiles.
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Education
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Literature & eBooks
Children's Classic Literature by Twain, Bronte, Fitzgerald, Hawthorne, Thoreau and more.
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Rainforest Frogs and Snakes
Among
the Costa Rican amphibians, there are many species of frogs and toads. There
are beautiful but extremely toxic frogs that display amazing colors as a
natural warning against predators. At least twenty are poison arrow
frogs, named because of the use of the toxins in arrows of
some natives. One of these frogs is called the "bufo marinus" and it can
squirt the poison as a fine mist or spray. Other frogs are completely harmless,
like the tink frog which owes its name to the sound that it makes. §
| Extinct Animals of Costa Rica
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| Sapo Dorado - Golden Toad
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The golden toad, discovered in 1964 in the Monteverde park, was only known
to exist in this area. No one has sighted a Sapo Dorado since 1989, and it is believed to be extinct. The females are yellow, black and red, and the males
are a golden-orange color, the reason for their name. A lot of the
Costa Rican frogs are so specialized, they have learned to survive in
the canopies of trees by using the water that's deposited in bromeliads and
tree trunks. This way, they don't have to descend to the ground and risk
being attacked by predators or of their tadpoles being eaten by fish. §
| Venomous Snakes in Costa Rica
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| Terciopelo or Fer-de-Lance
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Poisonous Snakes of Costa Rica
Snakes are other exotic reptiles that are present in Costa Rica. They represent
half of all of the reptile species in the country, but of 135 species of
snakes, only 17 are poisonous. Snakes are present in almost all ecosystems
in the area. The most common snakes are the boas, which can reach enormous
proportions, but aren't poisonous. Among the poisonous snakes are: a type
of rattlesnake, coral snakes (red, black and yellow or white stripes), and
the "terciopelo" or fer-de-lance snake. Snakes, like crocodiles and caimans,
are to be respected, but as long as people take certain precautions, they
shouldn't be attacked by them. For example, hikers have to be careful about
not holding on to "branches" without looking at them first. §
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