Herpetology in the context of "Ichthyology"

Reptiles, as commonly defined, are a group of tetrapods with an ectothermic metabolism and amniotic development. Living traditional reptiles comprise four orders: Testudines, Crocodilia, Squamata, and Rhynchocephalia. About 12,000 living species of reptiles are listed in the Reptile Database. The study of the traditional reptile orders, customarily in combination with the study of modern amphibians, is called herpetology.

Reptiles have been subject to several conflicting taxonomic definitions. In evolutionary taxonomy, reptiles are gathered together under the class Reptilia (/rɛpˈtɪliə/ rep-TIL-ee-ə), which corresponds to common usage. Modern cladistic taxonomy regards that group as paraphyletic, since genetic and paleontological evidence has determined that crocodilians are more closely related to birds (class Aves), members of Dinosauria, than to other living reptiles, and thus birds are nested among reptiles from a phylogenetic perspective. Many cladistic systems therefore redefine Reptilia as a clade (monophyletic group) including birds, though the precise definition of this clade varies between authors. A similar concept is clade Sauropsida, which refers to all amniotes more closely related to modern reptiles than to mammals.

Dermatophagia (from Ancient Greek δέρμα (derma) 'skin' and φαγεία (phageia) 'eating') or dermatodaxia (from δήξις (dexis) 'biting') is a compulsion disorder of gnawing or biting one's own skin, most commonly at the fingers. This action can either be conscious or unconscious and it is considered to be a type of pica. Those affected with dermatophagia typically bite the skin around the nails, leading to bleeding and discoloration over time. Some people also bite on their skin on their finger knuckles which can lead to pain and bleeding just by moving their fingers.

In herpetology, dermatophagia is used to correctly describe the act in which amphibians and reptiles eat the skin they shed, but this is not what occurs in humans. Those diagnosed with this disorder do not develop wounds on the bitten areas of their hands or lose any skin. Instead, they experience a thickening of the skin being repeatedly bitten. Contemporary research suggests a link between impulse-control disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorders, and this was addressed in the DSM-5 when dermatophagia and other related disorders were classified as 'other specified obsessive-compulsive related disorders' and are given the specification of body focused repetitive behavior.

Russell Alan Mittermeier (born November 8, 1949) is an American primatologist and herpetologist. He has written several books for both popular and scientist audiences, and has authored more than 300 scientific papers.

Brookesia nana, also known as the nano-chameleon, is a species of chameleon endemic to montane rainforests in northern Madagascar (North of 16°S). Unlike some chameleons, Brookesia nana does not change colors, which is an example of paedomorphism. The majority of northern Brookesia species are restricted to rainforest.

The species was discovered by herpetologist Frank Glaw and other German researchers in 2021 in the rainforest on the Sorata massif in northern Madagascar. Described in 2021, it could represent the world's smallest reptile. Brookesia nana is not arboreal, as it tends to inhabit the forest floor. It is likely that the species is endangered due to deforestation in Madagascar. Miniaturism is believed to evolve from habitat loss.

Edward Drinker Cope (July 28, 1840 – April 12, 1897) was an American zoologist, paleontologist, comparative anatomist, herpetologist, and ichthyologist. Born to a wealthy Quaker family, he distinguished himself as a child prodigy interested in science, publishing his first scientific paper at the age of 19. Though his father tried to raise Cope as a gentleman farmer, he eventually acquiesced to his son's scientific aspirations.

Cope had little formal scientific training, and he eschewed a teaching position for field work. He made regular trips to the American West, prospecting in the 1870s and 1880s, often as a member of U.S. Geological Survey teams. A personal feud between Cope and paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh led to a period of intense fossil-finding competition now known as the Bone Wars. Cope's financial fortunes soured after failed mining ventures in the 1880s, forcing him to sell off much of his fossil collection. He experienced a resurgence in his career toward the end of his life before dying on April 12, 1897.