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.

Terefah and Nevelah - Two Categories of Animals That May Not Be Eaten

A terefah is an animal or bird possessing one a well-defined group of life-threatening body defects that will results in its death within twelve motnhs. The meat of an animal or bird that is terefah may not be eaten even if the animal was killed through ritual slaughter, or shechitah.

A nevelah, on the other hand, is the carcass of an animal or bird that did not undergo a proper shechitah.