As you learn about herps, pay attention to who is related to whom. It is a great mental workout, and there is a bonus: there are far fewer families than species, so a list of families is a lot easier to learn. Much of the fun is noticing how relatives are alike, and how they are different. The Komodo Dragon is a huge monitor lizard, up to 10 feet long and 150 pounds. The Sand Goanna of Australia is a monitor too, and so are about 80 other species. They are all in the family Varanidae, and they are so closely related that every one of them is in the same genus, Varanus.
This lesson is part of Certified Junior Herpetologist. Enrollment is self-paced, with no deadline to finish (about 30 hours).
