Reptiles: Cold Blooded in MORE than one way?

Question

Studies suggest that reptiles, and even amphibians are strictly instinctual animals without any distinctive personality outside their own species. I've only owned a Bearded Dragon myself, and I can't say he seems to express any personality like my dog or cat. Also-can creatures who eat their young be as compassionate as their mammal cousins?

I was wondering if any of you reptile lovers had an opinion.

Answer 1

as a person who has had hands on experience living with and dealing with many many herps over the years(understatement) i can definitely say that they are all individuals with individual personality's. no study of animals cant show you what living with them 24/7 can. by the way compassion is an emotion and emotions and personality's are totally different . reptiles DO NOT have emotions.that is strictly a mammalian trait( OK some birds too!!)

Answer 2

There are plenty of animals that will eat their own, mammal, reptile, and fish alike. As far as "personality" goes, reptiles aren't domesticated... there's a LOT of "personality" in a cat or dog because of generations of living around us and being able to "read" us have made "personality" a big part of their survival... I don't think you'd find the same level of "personality" in feral cats or dogs or even wild breeds. BUT reptiles do indeed have a bit of "personality" if you want to call it that... depending on the amount of time you spent with your beardie it may not have had a chance to develop... my father's got an iguana that comes running and climbs up the side of the cage when anyone comes out the back door of the house, the turtle pen is full of different "personalities" and so is the snake room...

True, they won't fetch your slippers or the newspaper, but I've had water monitors that would climb up on your lap like a cat. I've had a snapping turtle that had the sense of not biting the hand that feeds to the point you could hand feed her and scratch her on the neck... sit next to the pond and pat the ground a few times, and she'd stick her head up and come swimming.

I believe MOST reptiles lack personality because they lack interaction, many can develop basic personality traits, and there's the rare reptilian individual that develops the real thing. Here's to you, Pursey and Tina and Spot!

Answer 3

my turtle has more personality in one claw then you do in your whole body.

Answer 4

I'd have to say that my chinese water dragon does seem to exhibit a personality.  I've also read accounts of other WD owners stating that they did act differently than each other and even did sort of play with each other.  

I've read that beardies are a very mellow kind of creature and typically don't show as much "emotion" per se.  They seem to act "bland" and not act much like they have a personality.  This may be true for this creature, but other lizards may not be the same in this.  Iguanas and possible WDs as well can recognize their master's voice and will respond more favorably to them than a stranger.  Whether this points to them having a personality or simply knowing where their food comes from, I can't say, but it is an interesting find in itself.

Also, foxes, wolves, and lions have been known to eat their own young on occasion if they are starving as the survival of the adult is more important than the young because the adult can create more young, but if the adult does not live, both will die.

Answer 5

reptiles don't have "personalities" thought hey have behavioral trends that might make it appear that they do. there are some mammals that will eat their own young if they cannot care for them.