Hi everyone!

I'm Abby Brown.

Have you ever been on a nature walk and stumbled across a frog or even a snake?

These types of amphibians and reptiles are common here in Iowa.

And it's super fun to catch a glimpse of them in their natural habitat.

But guess what?

Today, we're going to see some amphibians and reptiles up close.

I'm talking eyes and claws and shells and everything.

And let me give you a hint about one of my favorites.

His name is Peaches.

Get ready to Go Beyond with Iowa PBS and the Science Center of Iowa as we meet some cold blooded critters.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ Did you know that amphibians and reptiles were here on Earth millions of years ago, even before the dinosaurs?

It's incredible, isn't it?

Today my friends Bridgett and Shane from the Science Center of Iowa are going to showcase some of the best parts of these creatures.

Let's check them out.

♪♪ The Science Center of Iowa is home to a wide range of indigenous reptiles and amphibians.

During a visit to SCI you can catch a live snippy feeding or hang out with some of the animal friends up close during a cold blooded critters program.

You can even see a display of all four of the venomous snakes found here in Iowa.

What makes all the animals at SCI so special?

They are all excellent ectotherms.

An ectotherm is the scientific term for an animal that is cold blooded.

But this doesn't necessarily mean that they have cold blood.

Let's take a look at the origin of the word ectotherm.

The word ectotherm originates from the Greek word meaning ecto, which means outside, and therm, meaning hot.

This means ectothermic animals do not generate heat internally, but instead their heat and energy comes from their surroundings.

So technically their blood can be cold, but only if their surroundings are.

♪♪ ♪♪ My name is Bridgett and I'm an Exhibit Coordinator with SCI.

I work closely with the animals in the Science Center's What on Earth exhibit.

It's amazing to see the facts that I have read and written about for these animals happen right in front of me in real life, like how toads use their eyes to swallow.

Today, we're going to talk about SCI's excellent ectotherms, learn about the differences between reptiles and amphibians and even check out a few tips on how you can be a back yard herpetologist, which is a scientist that studies reptiles and amphibians.

♪♪ The two main ectotherms at SCI are reptiles and amphibians.

How do we tell the difference?

Reptiles are naturally dry and covered with scales.

♪♪ Amphibians have smooth skin that is sometimes slimy and sometimes bumpy, but they do not have scales.

♪♪ First, let's focus on reptiles with my friend Shane.

♪♪ Hi, I'm Shane with the Science Center of Iowa and there are lots of different reptiles in Iowa like turtles, lizards and snakes.

But let's focus on turtles.

Did you know that there are land and water turtles in Iowa?

But how can we tell the difference?

Well, because turtles are ectothermic, you may see them sunning in warm areas like on logs, rocks or even in the middle of the road.

You should never approach an animal without expert experience.

If you need expert help, check for helpers in your neighborhood like your local conservation officer or area animal rehabilitation centers.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ As a reptile, a turtle's body is made up of scales, even their shell.

The scales on their shell are made up of the same material as our hair and fingernails.

That material is called keratin.

We can do something together.

If you take an object or just another finger and you tap on your fingernail, well can you feel that?

Yeah, absolutely.

And a turtle can feel it when we touch their shell.

It feels very similar.

♪♪ They can feel when something touches their shell because the entire soft parts of their body are connected to their shell and so is their spine.

At the Science Center, we spend a lot of time outisde making ovservations about the world around us.

Sometimes, we even see turtles in the wild.

One main indicator we can observe about turtles to tell where they live are the shapes of their feet.

Water turtles, big and small, like snapping turtles and painted turtles all have webbed feet.

Land turtles, like box turtles, like Peaches here, all have long claws for digging.

You can also tell by the shape of their shell.

Land turtles will have a more domed shaped shell, whereas water turtles will have a more flat shell to be more aerodynamic in the water.

Even though land turtles live on land, they're still not tortoises.

Tortoises live in different parts of the world and have their own characteristics that are special to just tortoises.

♪♪ Now that we know reptiles are covered in scales, let's focus on amphibians and how their skin is different than a reptile.

Amphibians can have smooth and wet or dry and bumpy skin.

The most common amphibians in Iowa are frogs and toads.

But, did you know there are also salamanders in Iowa?

They're very sneaky.

Let's focus on frogs and toads and how we can tell the difference.

♪♪ ♪♪ You may have seen an American toad in your back yard before.

But how do we know if it's a toad?

Toads have darker, bumpier skin than frogs and are typically not as slimy.

Frogs, like the Eastern Gray Tree Frog, are very common in back yards too.

They can change color and it can range from gray to green.

Frogs are smoother than a toad, and some even have the ability to stick to vertical surfaces like windows.

♪♪ There are lots of different kinds of frogs in Iowa.

You're more likely to find frogs near water and toads under decaying leaves or in flower beds.

You can also listen to the calls of different frogs and toads to observe who is in your neighborhood.

(American Toad call) (Western Chorus Frog call) (Gray Tree Frog call) Any time you can observe an amphibian in the wild is a good sign.

As amphibians, they are important indicators to the health of the environment.

They can absorb pollution in their environment through their skin so they prefer to live in healthy habitats.

The name amphibian means two lives, as these critters start their lives off in the water.

A good way to look for signs of amphibians in the water are for their eggs.

You can also look for different stages of their life cycle like tadpoles.

♪♪ What are other ways to look for clues of these excellent ectotherms in your own back yard?

♪♪ ♪♪ One of my favorites is snake skins.

Snakes shed their skin in one long piece, kind of like taking off a big long sock.

Clues for snake skins look like a little strip of plastic in the grass.

But, if you observe closely you can see the scales and sometimes even the scales that cover the snake's eyes.

If you're really lucky, you can see the pattern of the scales on the shed to help you identify what type of snake it came from.

If you find something really cool, come show off your back yard herpitologist skills at the collector's corner at the Science Center.

Here you can contribute to some citizen science by making observations, asking questions, sharing your information and even trading in the cool items you find to display in the collector's corner here at What on Earth.

In exchange, you can save up points to trade in for other artifacts and activities.

♪♪ Finding things in your natural environment is a way to celebrate and explore your relationship with the world.

Natural artifacts can tell a story about their origins and the history of ecosystems in which they are found.

Collections are repositories of knowledge and ideas.

Go outside and go beyond with SCI.

Wow, those turtles and frogs and snakes were so awesome!

And did you see that salamander?

I'm going to challenge my boys to spot one of those in my neighborhood so that I can see one up close.

Thank you for going beyond with Iowa PBS and the Science Center of Iowa.

And always remember to ask questions and wonder.

That's what science is all about.

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