The Origins of Reptile Awareness Day
Through our web search we weren’t able to find out exactly why October 21st was chosen to celebrate and promote reptiles nor do we know when the first Reptile Awareness Day was celebrated.
The theme of the day might be more obvious now, but this awareness day was created to remember the importance of reptiles. These animals are so deserving and are often overlooked.
Most people don’t realize how many of these cold-blooded cuties there are on Earth! There are about 10,000 species in total, but only about 60 have been named or studied in detail – that means that 86 percent of all reptiles remain unknown to man! And just think about it – humans have been around for less than 200 years.
One thing we are sure about is that many of our readers like the reptile family of animals and some of them even take care of them at their homes.
The main point behind the National Reptile Awareness Day isn’t just hanging around with other reptile lovers and showing your dearest exotic pet, but also educate the rest of the community about the biological facts and important roles of reptiles in the ecosystem.
Primarily children are the ones that need to acknowledge that reptiles can be friendly, even though they seem scary to some of them. With our help, on this reptile day, many reptile species can be conserved, and we can promote reptile awareness, which will help eliminate some of the ecological threats they have been facing recently.
It’s a good thing and a positive trend that many veterinarians specialize in exotic species treatment and surgery so that reptiles can have equal chances of being saved when something goes wrong like, for example, dogs and cats.
What Are Reptiles?
A reptile is a cold-blooded animal. They have scales on the body, and they are neither a bird nor an animal. Being cold-blooded means that their bodies have a limited thermoregulation system, unlike mammals. Therefore their behavior is highly dependent on environmental temperatures and surroundings.
In nature, there are more than 10.000 species of reptiles and each and every one of them is unique in its own way. The most popular animals belonging to the reptile group include lizards, snakes, crocodiles, alligators, and tortoises.
Most of the reptile species are oviparous, which means they lay calcified eggs, on land. Fewer are ovoviviparous and hatch their eggs just before the time of parturition starts and there are even viviparous with a developed placenta-like system between the baby and the mother.
Even though some species of reptiles do provide parental care, most of the young ones are born without anyone to care for them and must have strong instincts in order to survive in the wilderness.
Are Red Lights Bad for Reptiles?
Red lights can be harmful to reptiles if they are used as the primary source of lighting for an extended period of time. Reptiles require specific wavelengths of light to meet their physiological needs, and red light does not provide these wavelengths.
Reptiles require a source of UVB light to help them produce vitamin D3, which is essential for the metabolism of calcium. Without enough UVB light, reptiles can develop metabolic bone disease, which can lead to skeletal deformities and other health problems.
While red lights do not emit UVB light, they can still disrupt the natural light cycle of reptiles. Many reptiles require a natural day-night cycle to regulate their behavior and metabolism, and exposure to constant red light can interfere with this cycle. This can lead to stress and other health problems in reptiles.
How to Celebrate Reptile Awareness Day?
We think it’s a really nice gesture for every animal lover to show appreciation to these exotic cuties and find the best way to celebrate the occasion.
One of the things you can do is give a donation to one of the many reptile conservation programs in your state or community.
Pay a visit to your local zoo, alone or with your friends and children, and carefully exhibit the exotic reptile collections they take care of.
If possible, take your pet vet to school or to your workplace, but make sure to check with the administration if that’s even possible.
And of course, if owning a reptile has always been a dream for you, this is the day to bring in a new family member in the house. Please feel free to share with us which reptile you like the most and why. Here is one example of our favorite reptile in the video article from Dr. Evan Antin Caimans in Pantanal, Brazil!
