"martin" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 14:50:18 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


"martin" wrote in message
.. .
snip

But they're not apmhibians.

Some snakes are.

snip

I think you will find that some snakes are amphibiOUS but still not
amphibiANS :-)

By googling I found there are both sorts. :-)
for example
http://www.divegallery.com/sea_krait.htm

I'm not sugesting that they are commonly found in small garden water
features :-)

"distinguished from other sea snakes by the fact they are amphibious (lives
on land and water), versus aquatic (never leaving the water). "

So; amphibiOUS not amphibiANS.

In article , martin
writes
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 14:26:39 +0200, martin wrote:

On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 13:07:32 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , martin
writes
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 16:14:59 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

snakes are legless amphibians?

Snakes don't have legs and do swim. I've seen grass snakes swimming in
the Thames.

But they're not apmhibians.

Some snakes are.

They may be amphibious in the colloquial sense (like DUKWs) but they are
not a member of the Amphibia, any more than a whale is a fish.


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , martin
writes
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 14:50:18 +0100, "David W.E. Roberts"
wrote:


"martin" wrote in message
. ..
snip

But they're not apmhibians.

Some snakes are.

snip

I think you will find that some snakes are amphibiOUS but still not
amphibiANS :-)

By googling I found there are both sorts. :-)
for example
http://www.divegallery.com/sea_krait.htm

AphibiAN, no.
Snakes are a subgroup of the reptiles (Class Reptilia). So by
definition, a snake cannot be an Amphibian (Class Amphibia).

See

http://www.biosis.org.uk/zrdocs/zr_t...voc/index.html


--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

In article , martin
writes
On Wed, 28 Apr 2004 13:07:32 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

In article , martin
writes
On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 16:14:59 +0100, Kay Easton
wrote:

snakes are legless amphibians?

Snakes don't have legs and do swim. I've seen grass snakes swimming in
the Thames.

But they're not apmhibians.

Definition: [n] cold-blooded vertebrate typically living on land
but breeding in water; aquatic larvae undergo metamorphosis into adult
form

You are right, I didn't know amphibians had to breed in water.

Amphibians are a group which are thought to have descended from a common
ancestor, and therefore one amphibian is more closely related to another
amphibian than it is to members of other evolutionary groups like
reptiles or mammals

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ...
"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Gwenhyffar
Milgi writes

ggg we get a few of those here as well. What I mean is a legless
amphibian though. I don't know what they're called!

I'm not aware of any legless amphibians in the UK! We've only got toads,
newts and frogs. I suppose you could call a tadpole a legless amphibian
;-)
snip
Mr. Picky says no - at the time they are legless tadpoles they are not
amphibians; try and get one to survive out of water if you are feeling mean
and merciless :-)

You want picky? I got picky! Tadpoles are not amphibious, but they
sure as daylight are amphibians.

Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message
...
"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Gwenhyffar
Milgi writes

ggg we get a few of those here as well. What I mean is a legless
amphibian though. I don't know what they're called!

I'm not aware of any legless amphibians in the UK! We've only got
toads,
newts and frogs. I suppose you could call a tadpole a legless
amphibian
;-)
snip
Mr. Picky says no - at the time they are legless tadpoles they are not
amphibians; try and get one to survive out of water if you are feeling
mean
and merciless :-)

You want picky? I got picky! Tadpoles are not amphibious, but they
sure as daylight are amphibians.

Mike.
It's a fair cop, guvnor, you got me bang to rights.
I'll come quietly.
It should have, in fact, read 'amphibiOUS'. :-)

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ...
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
om...
"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message
...
[...]
Mr. Picky says no - at the time they are legless tadpoles they are not
amphibians; try and get one to survive out of water if you are feeling
mean
and merciless :-)

You want picky? I got picky! Tadpoles are not amphibious, but they
sure as daylight are amphibians.

Mike.
It's a fair cop, guvnor, you got me bang to rights.
I'll come quietly.
It should have, in fact, read 'amphibiOUS'. :-)

I realised that, but blame the company I keep: life over on
alt.usage.english makes a man kinda mean!

Mike.

On 28 Apr 2004 06:46:49 -0700, (Mark Fawcett)
wrote:

"David W.E. Roberts" wrote in message ...
"Kay Easton" wrote in message
...
In article , Gwenhyffar
Milgi writes

ggg we get a few of those here as well. What I mean is a legless
amphibian though. I don't know what they're called!

I'm not aware of any legless amphibians in the UK! We've only got toads,
newts and frogs. I suppose you could call a tadpole a legless amphibian
;-)
snip
Could it have been an elver (baby eel)? I know grown eels can suurvive
out of water and make quite long journeys across country to reach
water. My natural history is somewhat lacking in the abilities of
elvers though.
This is the best piccie I found when I typed in elvers into Google
image search.
http://www.beaur.com/images/couvertu.jpg
Actually there were some that were more interesting but had nothing to
do with legless amphibians. Well I suppose they could in a round about
way but I wont take that thought train any further.

Mark

No, not an elver. At least it didn't look anything like the pictures I
found.

Oh great. Now I'm going to have to lay-about in the mud with my
camera!


"My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night
but ah my foes and oh my friends -- it gives a lovely light"

On Fri, 30 Apr 2004 15:51:30 +0000 (UTC), Gwenhyffar Milgi
wrote:


No, not an elver. At least it didn't look anything like the pictures I
found.

Oh great. Now I'm going to have to lay-about in the mud with my
camera!

Watch out for wild compost activators.

The message
from Gwenhyffar Milgi contains these words:

No, not an elver. At least it didn't look anything like the pictures I
found.

Oh great. Now I'm going to have to lay-about in the mud with my
camera!

Yes you are, because we all want to know.

4 cm's long, glittery grey/silver in colour,
and it was definitely an amphibian. It had no legs.

Only other thing I can think of is a very young slow worm, or possibly
a baby grass snake. Are they that tiny? Dunno. Snakes can (and do) swim
astonishingly well, but I don't know if slow worms can.

Janet.

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:
In article , Gwenhyffar
Milgi writes

ggg we get a few of those here as well. What I mean is a legless
amphibian though. I don't know what they're called!

I'm not aware of any legless amphibians in the UK! We've only got toads,
newts and frogs. I suppose you could call a tadpole a legless amphibian
;-)

Do you mean slowworm, aka legless lizard? It's a reptile, along with
lizards and snakes. Lives on small invertebrates, completely harmless, a
lovely thing to have in the garden.

Agreed, though perhaps the poster means DUCKWs, which have wheels, not legs?

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Gwenhyffar Milgi contains these words:

Do you mean slowworm, aka legless lizard? It's a reptile, along with
lizards and snakes. Lives on small invertebrates, completely harmless, a
lovely thing to have in the garden.

Well, no. It was about 4 cm's long, glittery grey/silver in colour,
and it was definitely an amphibian. It had no legs.

Nothing like that is indiginous to the UK AFAIK - unless it was an
elver. (young eel)

I've kept snakes, so I am aware of the difference between amphibians
and reptiles. There's a difference in skin appearance between a wet
amphibian and a wet reptile. This looked more like a salamander
without legs than like a small snake.

Jpeg!

I found it when I was clearing out the gully at the back of the house,
consequently that part of the gully has not been cleaned yet, as I
didn't know what it was specifically and I didn't want to disturb
anymore of its habitat.

Good thinking. Could it be a young worm, I wonder? (In the original
meaning of 'worm')

It didn't have the black flanks of a juvenile slowworm, and it was
smaller than my book says that juvenile slowworms are.

Juvenile slow-worms begin at very small.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Kay Easton contains these words:

I'm not aware of any legless amphibians in the UK! We've only got toads,
newts and frogs. I suppose you could call a tadpole a legless amphibian
;-)

snakes?

eh?

tadpoles are snakes?
snakes are legless amphibians?

Snakpole, Kay.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from martin contains these words:

BBC website photos of slow worms seem to meet the OP's description of
her snakish object.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfact...iles/281.shtml

The wrong habitat though.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from Gwenhyffar Milgi contains these words:

No, not an elver. At least it didn't look anything like the pictures I
found.

Oh great. Now I'm going to have to lay-about in the mud with my
camera!

# Then follow, me follow,
Down to the hollow,
And there let us wallow -
In glor-or-or-orious mud!

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/