The scientific ordering of animals may at first seem cryptic and disconnected from everyday life. However, taxonomy is not all that difficult to understand, and it is an excellent way to become familiar with animals and their relationships to each other. A simplified version of biological classification runs Kingdom > Phylum > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species. Reptiles and amphibians belong to the kingdom Animalia and phylum Chordata. From there, the living herps covered here are divided between the classes Reptilia and Amphibia and then into the major orders shown below. Additional ranks—suborders, superfamilies, subfamilies, and others—become useful as you look more closely at relationships. Source: The Reptile Database, species statistics updated June 16, 2026.
This lesson is part of Certified Herpetological Guide. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 50 hours).
