Marine Reptiles and Amphibians

Posted by John Blatchford Jul 13, 2008

Two Types of Marine Reptile

Sea Snakes

There are over sixty species of snake that live more or less permanently in the sea. They are highly venomous and eat fish. All breathe air and need to surface at intervals (like whales), and some need to come ashore to breed.

Sea Turtles

Seven species of turtle a fully marine, but like the snakes they breathe air and come up regularly. They lay their eggs on sandy beaches, and often migrate over long distances to return to the place where they hatched.

While writing about these Marine Reptiles I began to think about marine amphibians.

One Type of Marine Amphibian

While there are a number of very well adapted sea-going reptiles (snakes and turtles) there are no truly marine amphibian – only one species of frog comes close.

Frogs and Toads

The Crab-eating Frog - Fejervarya cancrivora formerly Rana cancrivora lives in the mangrove swamps of south east Asia, and as its name suggest it will eat crabs. It is the only known modern species of amphibian that can tolerate saltwater conditions.

The Marine Toad - Bufo marinus, despite its name does not live in or near the sea. It is purely terrestrial, and goes to freshwater to breed.

(My old article about French Frogs and Toads looks at a few of the common modern ones.)

Newts and Salamanders

None of the family Salamandridae goes anywhere near the sea. Most live in or near freshwater, and a few have become terrestrial in damp places, but they cannot tolerate salt. My article about French Newts and Salamanders introduces the group.