When you’re out herping, crouched by a pond or flipping logs in the heat of the day, it’s easy to assume most reptiles and amphibians are the “lay ’em and leave ’em” type. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find a few surprising super-dads and overprotective moms scattered throughout the cold-blooded kingdom. Some species have parenting instincts that rival birds while others, well… they abandon their eggs before they’ve even hit the dirt. Here’s a breakdown of the most interesting (and bizarre) parenting behaviors you might encounter in the wild.

Best Reptile and Amphibian Parents

1. The Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates)
These tiny, flashy frogs from Central and South America don’t just lay eggs and hop away. After the female lays a clutch on a moist leaf, the male guards them until they hatch. Then the real work begins. One parent (often the female) piggybacks the tadpoles, one at a time, to small pools of water in bromeliads. Some species even return regularly to feed their tadpoles with unfertilized eggs.

2. The Spectacled Caiman (Caiman crocodilus)
You wouldn’t think a creature with such a fearsome jawline would be a tender parent, but you’d be wrong. Spectacled caiman moms are incredibly protective. They’ll defend their nests from predators (including humans) and even carry newly hatched babies to water in their mouths. Once in the water, she stays close, keeping an eye on the young for weeks or even months.

There’s a reason you never see a herper reaching into a caiman nest unless they’re asking for a new scar.

3. The Giant Salamander (Andrias)
In this ancient amphibian lineage, the father sticks around after the female lays the eggs in an underwater burrow. He guards them fiercely from predators and fungus, fanning the eggs with his tail to increase oxygen flow until they hatch. With some species reaching nearly 6 feet in length, it’s like having a submarine-sized babysitter.

These creatures are rarely seen on a herping tour, but if you’re lucky enough to spot one, you’re witnessing one of nature’s most attentive dads.

The Worst Reptile & Amphibian Parents

1. Sea Turtles (Family: Cheloniidae)
Sea turtles are iconic, majestic, and… absolutely terrible parents. The female comes ashore, digs a nest, lays her eggs, and disappears back into the ocean without so much as a glance backward. No guarding, no guiding, no feeding. The hatchlings are left to fend for themselves, racing to the ocean while dodging crabs, birds, and tourists with GoPros.

2. Most Snakes (Various Families)
With a few notable exceptions (like the African rock python, which guards her eggs), most snakes want nothing to do with their young. Eggs are deposited in a hidden spot, and that’s the end of it. Some species even lay eggs in rotting vegetation and rely on the heat of decomposition to incubate them.

3. The Common Toad (Bufo bufo)
Toads are the rough-and-tumble crowd of the amphibian world, and their parenting style reflects it. After a clumsy and sometimes chaotic mating season, females lay thousands of eggs in strings across still water. From there, the odds of survival are slim. No guarding, no feeding, just a hope that a few tadpoles beat the odds.

Final Thoughts

Cold-blooded doesn’t always mean cold-hearted. Some of the fiercest jaws in the wild belong to the most dedicated parents, while others just let nature sort things out. As herpers, we get front-row seats to this ancient drama, one clutch at a time.