The number of different species of herptiles (reptiles & amphibians) is such as to stagger the imagination! (And we won't even start looking at subspecies at this point!) Answering the question of "What should be my first herp?" is largely a matter of simply asking, "In what type of animal am I most interested?" If you are fascinated by snakes, then the most splendid turtle would probably be a disappointment and at some point a burden. Likewise, if you are intrigued by salamanders, a snake would be a very poor first herp.

More specifically,