Herping

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Herping is a term often used by professional and amateur Herpetologists to signify searching for reptiles or amphibians.

Herping consists of many activities; any way one can find reptiles or amphibians can be considered herping. The activity or technique depends on the terrain and target species. These include, but are not limited to, searching under natural cover objects (such as rocks and logs) and artificial cover objects (such as trash or construction debris), sometimes called 'flipping,' as in 'flipping rocks' or 'flipping boards;' locating calling amphibians by ear, commonly done in pairs in order to triangulate on the location of the frog or toad; muddling or noodling for turtles by feeling around in mud or around objects submerged in water; dipnetting for aquatic amphibians and turtles; noosing lizards with wire or fishing line on the end of a pole; lantern walking, which involves searching habitat on foot at night; and road cruising, which refers to the practice of driving along a road slowly in search of reptiles or amphibians that are crossing the road or basking on the road surface.

General herping can take place any time, anywhere, whereas road herping usually takes place at dawn or dusk, or during rainstorms. Road herping during rainstorms has a high probability of finding toads or frogs that may be otherwise impossible to find during normal conditions.