There’s a general ‘rule’ throughout the animal kingdom which, basically, says that the larger the appearance of an individual, the more intimidating it is towards rivals and predators. Witness, for example, how male fish of many species spread their fins when facing rivals in disputes over mates, or territory, or food, or when they, themselves, are faced with the prospect of becoming another animal’s next meal. So…what’s this got to do with the saurian that forms the subject of this article? Quite a lot, in fact.
When did humans begin to keep reptiles? Of course we don’t know exactly, but crocodiles and snakes played a major role in the religion of Ancient Egypt. Crocodiles had temples of their own and so did snakes. It is probable that every type of animal maintenance was originally for religious reasons. The keeping of animals in the Stone Age, during the so-called Neolithic revolution, was undoubtedly originally influenced by religion. Otherwise why were cattle domesticated, but not bison?
