Eight reptiles

The Torah lists eight special reptiles, such as lizard and snail, and it also includes other small animals in the list, such as weasel and mouse, calling them the collective name of “crawlers,” but we will refer to them for simplicity as reptiles.

The term of such animals that appear to crawl on the ground is "sheretz," literally, "one that crawls." Most reptiles, such as a snake, do not convey ritual impurity when they are dead. The above eight, however, are singled out in that their carcasses do convey impurity. Here is the list of their names with possible translations:

1. Choled - weasel, mole, rat;
2. Achbar - mouse;
3. Tzav - toad, ferret;
4. Anaka - hedgehog, porcupine, beaver;
5. Koach - species of lizard, chameleon;
6. Letaah - lizard;
7. Chomet - snail, slug, chameleon;
8. Tinshemet - mole, type of a lizard.