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Reptiles awareness day - History and Importance

National Reptile Awareness Day is celebrated across the United States each year on October

21, to educate and inform the public about these often underappreciated cold-blooded

vertebrates.


The peafowl was designated as the national bird, the tiger as the national animal, the

Gangetic dolphin as the national aquatic animal, the king cobra as the national reptile and the

elephant as the national heritage animal.


While the history of reptiles may go hundreds of millions of years back, National Reptile

Awareness day has an unfortunately short history in comparison.


Additionally, it wasn't really until 1966 when the First Endangered Species Act was passed

that awareness of the needs and threats facing reptiles ( or any animal, for that matter ) started

to make its way into our cultural mainstream.


National Reptile Awareness Day wouldn't exist without the efforts of that movement.

Many reptiles wouldn't be around today without the help of the Endangered Species Act.

While National Reptile Awareness Day may have a small history compared to its

subjects, it's still part of a historically important movement to help protect and conserve all

species of animals.


Meaning and Importance of Reptile Awareness Day

National Reptile Awareness Day 2021 is Observed across the nation each year to raise awareness of Reptiles safely and the threat of their extinction. The National Reptile Awareness Day 2021

encourages not only the conservation of all reptiles worldwide but also promotes education and

appreciation for reptiles. This day is commemorated to raise awareness about threats to the natural

environments that our reptile friends rely on for survival.

Reptiles are crucial to the ecology and the overall health of the environment and food chain. In

reality, putting a reptile (or any animal, for that matter) into an environment where it isn't supposed

to be can create a significant mismatch between nature and how it functions. The number of iguanas

found in the southern region of Florida is a good illustration.

Iguanas are not dangerous or aggressive to humans but they damage seawalls, sidewalks, and landscape

foliage and can dig lengthy tunnels. Non-native Iguanas are multiplying so rapidly that the state wildlife

agency is now encouraging people to kill them. The commission says female Iguanas can lay nearly

80 eggs a year and South Florida’s warm climate is perfect for the prehistoric-looking animals.


As a result, National Reptile Awareness Day has grown in popularity among reptile enthusiasts and

pet owners who use the day to raise awareness about their pets and the activities they like the most.

Reptiles are cold-blooded animals that crawl or move on its belly. They are vertebrates, have dry skin,

covered in scales on horny plates. They are egg-laying creatures. A class of reptiles include snakes,

lizards, crocodiles, turtles and tortoises.



BENEFITS OF REPTILES FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

1. GOOD INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

Being specific to certain environmental conditions, they are prone to suffering from

habitat loss and pollution for extended periods. Therefore, a thriving community of

amphibians and reptiles shows that an environment is healthy and can support the

plant and animal life that exists there.

2. STOP THE SPREAD OF DISEASE

Being carnivores, they feast on insects and rodents and are known to carry diseases for

For example, Venomous Snakes feed on these pests. Therefore, keeping undesirable

pests away from humans and other animals

3. REPTILES HELP CONTROL SPECIES POPULATIONS

Overpopulation of any species can have a damaging knock-on effect on the other

wildlife that exists in space.

Reptiles like crocodiles and alligators prevent the overpopulation of fish species in

coastal regions and wetlands. Their feeding habits are essential in keeping aquatic

ecosystems like these healthy and balanced, which is instrumental for fisheries that

make their living in these environments.

4. HELP DECLINING SPECIES TO THRIVE

Not only do Reptiles being the Keystone Species help keep species’ numbers down,

but they also help many that are in decline to thrive! While not as common as

carnivorous reptiles, herbivorous reptiles disperse seeds and pollinate various plant

species, including those that are becoming increasingly rare.

5. GOOD FOR HOUSEKEEPING

Since they are lazy in terms of hunting as compared to other animals, they can be

kept away from the natural environment to an aesthetically pleasing man-made

environment. This keeps a check on their protection from pathogens that can cause


their extinction.

6. REPTILES HAVE HELPED ADVANCE MODERN MEDICINE

Reptiles that have helped advance modern medicine include:

➢ Snake venom has acted as a template for some of the most effective medicines

used for high blood pressure, heart failure and heart attacks.

➢ The anticoagulant properties of the Komodo Dragon’s venom have helped

conditions that stem from blood clots, like strokes and pulmonary embolisms.

➢ The terrifyingly named Deathstalker Scorpion has one of the most potent

venoms of any scorpion breed. It also contains Chlorotoxin, a toxin that is being

developed to diagnose cancers.



➢ TYPES OF REPTILES

REPTILE: - Any member of the class Reptilia, the group of air-breathing vertebrates

that have internal fertilization, amniotic development, and epidermal scales covering

part or all of their body.

➢ MAJOR GROUPS OF LIVING REPTILES

Turtles (order Testudines)

Tuatara (order Rhynchocephalia [Sphenodontidae])

Lizards and snakes (order Squamata)

Crocodiles (order Crocodylia, or Crocodilia)—account for over 8,700 species

Birds (Class Aves) share a common ancestor with crocodiles in subclass Archosauria

and are technically one lineage of reptiles, but they are treated separately.

EXTINCT REPTILES included an even more diverse group of animals that ranged from

the marine plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, and ichthyosaurs to the giant plant-eating and

meat-eating dinosaurs of terrestrial environments.

TAXONOMICALLY, Reptilia and Synapsida (a group of mammal-like reptiles and their

extinct relatives) were SISTER GROUPS that diverged from a common ancestor during

the Middle Pennsylvanian Epoch (approximately 312 million to 307 million years ago).

All birds and some groups of extinct reptiles, such as selected groups of dinosaurs,

also evolved endothermic physiology. However, many modern reptiles possess an

ectothermic (cold-blooded) physiology. Today only the leatherback sea turtle

(Dermochelys coriacea) has near-endothermic physiology. So far, no reptile, living

or extinct, has developed specialized skin glands for feeding its young.



Human behaviour towards reptiles

Owning reptiles (e.g., chelonians, lizards, and snakes) poses plenty of challenges in

terms of welfare and care, as well as conservation and environmental concerns.

However, despite the large scale of the reptile trade, little is known about the motives for

acquiring and keeping these animals. This research provides the first empirical

investigation on the motives for owning reptiles as pets in Portugal as well as on the

nature of the human–reptile bond. Using a mixed-methods approach, an online survey

was used to gather the views and opinions of 220 reptile owners. Respondents described

their affection toward reptiles using terms that denote affective states of increasing

intensity: “to like”, “to love,” “fascination,” and “passion.” Four main categories of

motivations for the long-term keeping of pet reptiles were identified: convenience,

entertainment, companionship, and duty of care. Respondents perceived their pets as

family members (64%) and as sentient beings, including the ability to feel “stress or

fear” (≥ 80%) and “pain or discomfort” (≥74%). Snakes differed from lizards and

chelonians in the sense that they were less frequently considered a “family member”

(χ2(2) = 7.14, p = 0.03) and were perceived as less able to communicate (χ2(2) = 9.91,

p < 0.01). Results suggest that human–reptile relations are driven by the same feelings as

those previously reported for mammalian pets, although they are more diverse and

nuanced by a sense of admiration and fascination for their mysterious nature and

unusual behaviours. Building on these strong emotional bonds, promoting early

education about wildlife conservation, and responsible pet keeping could play a crucial

role in improving captive-reptile welfare.

A similar bias in our knowledge about reptile species can be found when researching people's

relationships with animals.

It can be explored from many different perspectives, e.g., in terms of folk traditions,

utilitarian reasons, negative attitudes, pet keeping or nature protection.

The whole variety of human interaction with local fauna has been traditionally the subject of

ethnozoology ( or specifically ethno herpetology when focused on reptiles ), a discipline that

has thrived since the 19th century.


There are many forms of interaction between reptiles and humans Brazil-although most of

them are quite negative in terms of wildlife conservation -which reinforces the importance of

understanding such uses and interactions in the context of protecting reptiles in Brazil.

A better understanding of the cultural, social and traditional roles of these reptiles is

fundamental to establishing management plans for their sustainable




Aim

National Reptile Awareness Day aims to draw attention to all of such species and why they should be

conserved. A lot of people get freaked out or have misconceptions about snakes, lizards and such

animals and thus drive them away, sometimes endangering their lives. One of the ways to celebrate

this day is to raise awareness about their roles in ecology and how to work for their conservation.


References

reptile | Definition, Characteristics, Examples, & Facts | Britannica


https://www.learndirect.com/blog/why-reptiles-are-so-

important#:~:text=They%20Also%20Help%20Declining%20Species%20to%20Thrive


&text=Not%20only%20do%20reptiles%20help,that%20are%20becoming%20increasi

ngly%20rare.

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