The 9 Best amphibian Identification Guides (2023 reviews)

Here, we review guide that manages to win our hearts. It's the behler amphibian identification guide and it's widely considered as one of all-around great guide you can buy. This photographic guide features excellent images of probably almost all North-American reptiles and amphibians, including many subspecies and some introduced species. The Audubon maps only show the basic region. The binding of the eight printing (1989) is quite good, hard-back like plastic soft-cover. It's easy to read for all ages.

This guide is the best to use for identification, for nearly half the book is made up of bright, clear pictures that enables precise identification. This book is small enough to carry around with you on hikes, making identification of these lovable creatures very simple. It's easy to use, colorful and interesting.

Why We Like This:

Very handy size with protective vinyl cover
Necessary to have when you live out of town in a rural area
Handy size, good pictures in color, salient facts
Very informative reference guide for any outdoors person, whether a novice or an expert

Best For beginner: Robert Powell amphibian Identification Guide

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate guide. The robert powell amphibian identification guide is exactly that - it's a simple guide that hits all the right notes. Conant’s books are packed, they use up all the space, no blank or wasted space or pages. It is a much-needed revision of a classic field guide. It is a necessary guide for amateurs and serious naturalist or herpetologists alike. It is great for the everyday or occasional herper. It has a lot more ID info and more species.

The third and fourth editions are the same size, same page margins and general format,. It is well done and worthy of being kept on you or your car at all times for reference. It is definitely a very informative book and pretty easy to navigate.

Why We Like This:

An essential tool for anyone that loves being outdoors
Very comprehensive and a good addition to field work
Love the clear pictures, locations, and organization
Excellent and a must for any herper interested in reptiles

Best For avid desert hiker: Catherine H Howell amphibian Identification Guide

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Not everyone likes to purchase guide for their regular usage, but the catherine h howell amphibian identification guide would be an anomoly. This is a great reference book for the avid desert hiker. It includes non native species that have invaded certain areas sometimes threatening indigenous wildlife. It is a well designed, organized and produced volume. There's a nice visual index to different groups of amphibians and reptiles. This one is larger and not quite so tiny printwise.

This is a very nice pocket identification guide. It is easy to carry the book around in the field. The book contains a lot of pictures and is easy to understand.

Why We Like This:

Very handy for dealing with boy scouts and other young males
Small size for fitting in pocket or purse
Fine for fingers, not amphibian toes or snake armpits
Small enough for a field jacket pocket

Best For outdoor traveler: Robert C Stebbins amphibian Identification Guide

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We would, of course, be remiss if we didn't mention robert c stebbins amphibian identification guide for daily purpose. The Peterson field guide series has been one of the most respected and useful field guides for almost every group of organisms. This guide is small enough to carry around in a bag and you'll find a lot of information about each species. It has strong pages and solid binding. The illustrations are thorough, showing appearances of species before maturity and difference in sex if there is an obvious distinction. The distribution maps are moved so they can be found with the species accounts, rather than in a section at the back of the book.

The book itself is well made and high quality. It is good for the outdoor traveler. It is easy to learn to use.

Why We Like This:

Has tons of species drawn well with sharp clean images
Depictions of reptiles and amphibians are excellent
Delivers what they promise

Best For pond: Scott Shupe amphibian Identification Guide

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Scott Shupe is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist guide for people on the go, and its line of scott shupe amphibian identification guide definitely falls in line with that reputation. It is essentially an area of rolling landscape well dissected by numerous rivers and streams that create areas of moderate relief. These are characterized by being relatively cool and damp forests. It can be quite rugged in some areas of southeastern ohio. It is easy to understand and apply to the rest of the book.

Why We Like This:

Very nice book with clear pictures
New and hot release

Best For New FL herpers: James Kavanagh Great Guide

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The james kavanagh great guide is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your regular usage.

Why We Like This:

Perfect little pocket pamphlet for adventures
Small, light, lots of great info
Good brand reputation

Best Guide: Robert C Stebbins First Guide

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Next on the list, we've got yet another guide that manages to win our hearts. It's the robert c stebbins first guide and it's widely considered as one of the best convenient guide you can buy. All beginning nature and science enthusiasts can benefit from these handy pocket books. If you're looking for some biological detail, go for a bigger book, but this one is great for quick ID. The illustrations are excellent and provide enough detail to know one similar frog from another.

The small size and lightweight makes it perfect to put in a pocket or nice stashed in a pack to identify poisonous and non-poisonous snakes and amphibians while on a day hike or a longer camping trip. The pictures are color illistrations, with just enough text. If you're a backyard or weekend wildlife observer, this is the perfect book for you. This is a great guide for children.

Why We Like This:

Excellent guide to reptiles and amphibians
Excellent source for the backyard observer
Well written and very user friendly

Best With Fish: James Kavanagh amphibian Identification Guide

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Unlike a bulky book, these North American Nature Guides are compact, durable and portable. Each pocket-sized, folding guide highlights up to 150 species and most feature a map identifying prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions. It is limited to 45 snakes, 24 frogs & toads, 18 turtles, 25 lizards, and 3 crocodilians.

Whether you're on a nature hike or exploring in your neighborhood, you'll want to take along a copy of this indispensable guide. The pocket naturalist guides quickly and easily introduce novice outdoorsmen to the wonders of animal and plant life, as well as other aspects of the wilderness.

Why We Like This:

Excellent for kids as well as adults
Really handy if you are an outdoors person, or just curious about nature
Easy for kids to use also

Best For amateurs: National Audubon Society amphibian Identification Guide

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For a low asking price, national audubon society amphibian identification guide has managed to overwhelm their customers by packing as many features as they could. It is a good pocket guide for amateurs and kids. It is great for kids to hold, flip through and carry in the house or outdoors.

Why We Like This:

Adorable little book and is great for beginners
Good investment for long term