Ethan Kocak @ethankocak.com · 13/10/2026I am generally not the type to anthropomorphize my animals’ behaviors. I don’t/can’t know what he’s thinking, but having worked with many animals, he seems to be curious and aware. Lizards perceive things differently from other animals. 1300
Ethan Kocak @ethankocak.com · 13/10/2026Evolutionarily, I don’t think most reptiles have much of a concept of affection. Not the way we do as mammals. But they do understand hurt/not hurt and food. 4350
Techie McCrankypants @ogredrew.bsky.social · 13/10/2026I personally think that what we think of as 'affection' grew out of/on top of what lizard brains registered as 'safe to nap around'. Which fits with how many times my Cresties crawled up on top of my head and just curled up to chill. 160
“alien” 👽 @tinolqa.bsky.social · 13/10/2026I wonder where the line was in archosauria. Because somewhere along the line birds ended up with an immediately recognizable concept of affection in terms of pair-bonding, rearing offspring, and even adoption/co-parenting unrelated young. 110
Mother Frog Slut // Steward of Giant Reptiles @toadcialism.bsky.social · 13/10/2026I think monitors definitely know affection to some extent. Since I spend almost every day of my life with one—Liora often and purposely seeks me out for interaction! Sometimes she wants cuddles, other times she just wants me to watch her eat dinner or climb her branches. We have so many rituals! 121
Ethan Kocak @ethankocak.com · 13/10/2026I think you have to try to meet animals where they are, behaviorally. It takes a lot of patience and requires some effort to try and see things from a non-human perspective 1361
