Vertebrates are certainly the best-studied animals of which most species have been identified.
Finally, as with most printed lists, corrected updates are not forthcoming and likely would be soon out of date again. This list currently contains 7,870 extant reptile species and provides not only synonymies and distribution data, but also attempts to give references for every single species. The database has been assembled mainly from published monographs and checklists and from submissions by individual contributors. Eventually the database should serve as a guide to descriptions and keys in the literature or even contain them as online information. 1 summarizes the assignment of extant reptile species to their families.