Do reptiles feel any kind of emotions? As someone who's studied and kept many herps (reptiles and amphibians) before, yes, they do. Reptiles feel emotion. They feel pain.
We also found four articles that explored and found evidence for the capacity of reptiles to feel pleasure, emotion, and anxiety. These findings show that reptiles are considered to be capable of experiencing a range of emotions and states.
It's probably safe to say that snakes and lizards aren't as sentimental or affectionate as dogs and cats, but there's no true way to say for sure. That said, reptiles can and do get quite attached to their owners. Bonding with a reptile will take time and patience, but it's not impossible.
Some argue that if you keep a Komodo dragon long enough, you can successfully tame it. But the truth is, reptiles like these lizards aren't like dogs or cats. Because they're not wired to bond with their caregivers, even trying to domesticate them at a young age would still not make them safe-enough pets.
Komodo Dragons are the world's largest living lizards and the most intelligent. They are able to outsmart a deer or pig when it comes to hunting.
THE MONITOR LIZARD
These creatures are among the most intelligent reptiles on earth, with some species learning to count snails at feeding time and displaying distinct personality traits.
Reptiles have excelled in learning about space and their surroundings, as well as about color and taste. Researchers have also observed social learning, eavesdropping on the warning sounds from other species, reversal learning, solving novel tasks and evidence of good memory.
They can be very dangerous to keep around children or even adult humans, especially animals. Their name suits them well, as Komodo dragons are true carnivores that attack all sorts of animals in the wild, even humans. While the Komodo is not known to feed on humans, attacks have been reported.
Reptiles have the anatomic and physiologic structures needed to detect and perceive pain. Reptiles are capable of demonstrating painful behaviors. Most of the available literature indicates pure μ-opioid receptor agonists are best to provide analgesia in reptiles.
Komodo dragons are thought to live about 30 years in the wild, but scientists are still studying this.
At best, it seems like reptiles may be more tolerant of some people, but their instincts and behaviors aren't akin to human affection and love. Do reptiles feel emotions? Research shows that they do.
However, most reptiles do seem to recognize people who frequently handle and feed them. “I don't know if it is love,” says Dr. Hoppes, “but lizards and tortoises appear to like some people more than others. They also seem to show the most emotions, as many lizards do appear to show pleasure when being stroked.”
Your gentle touch is uncomfortable for the lizard, and its closed eyes signify that they want you to stop! This reaction can occur at any time.
Do reptiles get lonely? It depends on the reptile. Most snakes don't live in groups in the wild, and if they encounter another snake outside of breeding season, they ignore it. Most lizards (like bearded dragons, monitor lizards, and leopard geckos) are also solitary.
In rare cases, individual crocodilians have been known to bond so strongly with people that they become playmates for years. For example, a man who rescued a crocodile that had been shot in the head became close friends with the animal.
Snakes are able to recognise and distinguish between humans and may recognise the scent of their owner as familiar or positive with time. However, snakes are unable to view humans as companions so cannot form a bond with their owner like other pets can.
#1 Bearded Dragon
If you're looking for a reptile who likes you just as much as you like it, you want to buy a bearded dragon. Bearded Dragons can become close companions with their humans.
Third, fish lack a cerebral cortex or its homologue and hence cannot experience pain or fear.
Fish do not feel pain the way humans do, according to a team of neurobiologists, behavioral ecologists and fishery scientists. The researchers conclude that fish do not have the neuro-physiological capacity for a conscious awareness of pain.
Komodo dragons have thrived in the harsh climate of the Indonesian Islands for millions of years. Fossils, from 50,000 years ago, show they used to live in Australia once upon a time! Due to the increasing threats of habitat destruction, poaching and natural disasters, these dragons are considered a vulnerable species.
A lion would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Lions are larger and heavier and have something that the Komodo dragon lacks: the ability to kill their enemy with a single blow.
A crocodile would win a fight against a Komodo dragon. Crocodiles are simply too large and too powerful for a Komodo dragon to fight back against. One likely outcome would be the crocodile waiting for the Komodo dragon in the water and dragging it beneath the waves to suffer a brutal death.
Many reptiles do cry, including crocodiles, but they do this because the flow of tears helps to clean out and protect their eyes, not because they are unhappy.
While reptiles do not have the “typical” personality traits of other companion animals such as dogs, cats and birds, they do have their own assortment of fascinating habits and behaviors, and during the course of your relationship with your reptile, you may even observe some signs that a human-animal bond has taken ...
It is concluded that non-avian reptiles indeed possess all of the necessary capacities to be classified as sentient beings.