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A Short Passage on Reptiles     Reptiles have been around for 300 million years, but they came into their own just a few decades ago - at least in the mind of the average American. Part of this latter-day awakening of interest and tolerance may stem from the flood of herpetological research, but much more originates from public awareness, at long last, that most reptiles, serpents included, are of interest and value, and not all are horrendous monsters fit for only to be slaughtered at every oppotunity. Probably the long-extinct dinosaurs have contributed their share to this improved state of affairs. At least they are familiar to all of us. Thanks to restorations of paleontologists. We see their likenesses frequently - in cartoons and advertisements in small boys' toys or in "bones" at the museum - and usually the are portrayed as symbols of power and life in the raw during bygone millennia. But the baby turtle, the "chameleon" bought at the circus and the pet garter snake, which find their way into so many private homes, are the stuff from which enthusiasm springs among the youth of today. They ensure a large and appreciative audience for books about a remarkable group of animals. If only we could see for ourselves some of the grotesque monsters of yesteryear! In a sense we have come too late. We are witnessing the closing scene of the last act of a natural drama that has known no equal. Arising from feeble ancestors in a new and hostile environment, the reptiles branched out in all directions and for a long time were dominant. Those that survive are meager remnants of the long-dead hordes, and at least some - the turtles, crocodiles and tuatara - eminently qualify for that hackneyed but beautifully descriptive appellation of living fossils. There may be a lesson for us on the rise and fall of the great reptiles. We human beings are riding high today, and many of us give little thought to the future despite the threat of atomic war, our fantastically burgeoning population and our profligate wastage of natural resources. Let one or more of these dangers pass beyond control, and mankind may find itself vastly reduced in numbers and struggling for survival as so many of the reptiles are today. At least some of the reptiles are making a comeback, or they were until we began polluting our streams, poisoning our countryside with insect sprays and bulldozing so many of their habitats out of existence. This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page