The scientific study of reptiles and amphibians, including their physiology, behavior, evolution, and ecology.
From Greek 'herpeton' (reptile/creeping creature) + '-logy' (study of). This formal scientific discipline emerged in the 1800s as naturalists systematized the study of cold-blooded vertebrates.
Erpetology has exploded in importance recently because amphibians are disappearing globally due to fungal diseases and climate change—these scientists are now in an urgent race to document species before they vanish.
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