Reptiles: Misunderstood, maligned and mistreated

Enrique Font

The Ecological Citizen Vol 8 No 1 2025: 59–67 [epub-123]

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First published: 3 October 2024 | PERMANENT URL | DOWNLOAD CITATION IN RIS FORMAT

Abstract

For centuries, researchers and non-specialists alike have dismissed the behaviour and cognitive abilities of reptiles as simple and moronic compared to those of other vertebrates. This widespread misconception can be traced, at least in part, to long-standing fallacies regarding reptilian brain size and organization. Until recently, the brains of reptiles were thought to be small and lacking the neural structures that underpin complex cognition in birds and mammals. In reality, reptile brains are not as small as previously thought and possess the same major subdivisions found in all vertebrates. Furthermore, a growing body of research shows that the brains of reptiles support a rich behavioural repertoire and sophisticated cognitive abilities on par with those of mammals and birds. Thus, the persistent myth of the sluggish, primitive, uninteresting reptile is based on prejudice, ignorance, and multiple misunderstandings, is utterly inconsistent with the available evidence, and should be abandoned.

Keywords

Animal ethics, Anthropocentrism, Human supremacy

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