Benefits of Reptiles

The removal of one species can have a massive negative impact on an ecosystem. This has been seen in many different ecosystems. Removing reptiles takes away predators and prey from many different species in the organism. Please look at the model (The Food Web) for an example.
For visibility and asthetics, photo of a white albino alligator in water
A photo of a foodweb, it is meant to portray how reptiles are ingrained in the foodweb to emphasize their importance.

For example, in this food web, removing lizards would negatively affect the ecosystem because:

  • The bird and butterfly population would increase due to not having a predator.
  • The wolf and mountain lion population would likely decrease due to having a lack of food.
  • The rabbit population would decrease because the wolves and mountain lions would need to compensate for losing one of their food sources.
  • Since there are now fewer rabbits, the butterfly population increases even more because it lost another predator.
  • The increased population of butterflies eats more plants than before and may limit food for other herbivores.
For visibility and asthetics, a photo of a brown turtle ina brown pond with green lilypads
Snakes are important to ecosystems because they keep prey populations like mice in check and provide food to predators like hawks. In addition, while not all snakes burrow and often live in burrows of other animals, some snakes create burrows and may provide burrows for other organisms once the burrows are not in use by the snake anymore.

Benefits of Reptile Education and Awareness

Reptile education helps to teach people about the benefits of reptiles and what can be done to help them. It also can inform the public on what is hurting reptiles. This can help by getting people to appreciate reptiles and their positive impact and start taking measures to stop harming them. This helps the environment.
For visibility and asthetics, photo of a brown moniter lizard with green leaves and grass all around them
For visibility and asthetics, a photo of a garter snake. A garter snake is a snake native to many backyards in north and central america
Reptile education helps to inform people what to do when they see a reptile. If a person is taught how to identify dangerous reptiles in their area and what to do when they encounter one, there is a much less chance that they will be harmed by this reptile, and instead we can admire the dangerous reptiles' beauty from a distance.

Benefits of Reptiles Around Your House

Common reptiles like lizards and garter snakes can help with pest control by eating bugs in your backyard. This can also help you if you are trying to grow a garden. Many snakes, including rat snakes, can eat the rats in your yard and reduce the number of rats on your property. As discussed above, reptiles benefit the ecosystem they live in, and this includes the one outside your house.
For visibility and asthetics, a picture of a baskilisk lizard looking at it's reflection in a mirror ( in practice, I do not reccomend showing your reptile pets their reflection. )