About Extant Relatives
Extant Relatives wants to make sure that humans know how amazing reptiles and amphibians ("herps") are.
Why ?
Reptiles and amphibians are important to humans as pets, ecological members, pest deterrents, even food and fashion. We are dedicated bettering the lives of these animals through education. Extant Relatives brings that education to the community through open access to high-quality, evidence based information, scientific approach, hands-on experience, and community exchange.
Read on to learn more about Extant Relatives' philosophy and vision.
Evidence for a Theory
Reptiles and amphibians (or "herps") have a large presence in human existence - whether or not we enjoy them. We keep them as pets, farm them for food and fashion, hunt them as pests, and create stories around them. They are beautiful. They are dangerous. They are intelligent. They even provide sanitation services. But most of us do not know much about reptiles or amphibians.
Reptiles and amphibians have an increasing popularity in the pet trade but are frequently cared for improperly. Wild herps face threats from pollution, habitat destruction and fragmentation, the pet trade, and more. Extant Relatives theorizes that the core of reptile and amphibian suffering comes from a lack of information rather than malice. Helpful information is often inaccessible, indigestible, and clouded by misinformation. We would love to add evidence that theory, enhancing the lives both of humans and reptiles by serving as a source of reliable information.
Experimental Design
Extant Relative's experimental design is a Three-E Method: Experience, Education, Exchange.
Experience. Things are scarier or unimportant when you do not know them. Meeting our charismatic and well-socialized reptiles and amphibians creates new connections that make herps less scary and more important. We offer the chance to interact with reptiles and amphibians in a way that is safe for everyone. Give us data - after holding Lil' Squeezy, do you feel better about snakes in your yard?
See our "Meet Us" page to learn more about the ever-growing collection of species we work with.
Education. Reptile facts are fun to spout, but education goes deeper than that. We would rather help others understand herps through the life history, evolution, and ecology of these species. We strive to offer evidence-based, scientific information that is easy to access, easy to understand, and reliable. This way, humans can make informed decisions about how to keep a reptile, what plants or chemicals to use in a yard, or whether it's okay to pick up that frog. Data quest - does a more knowledgeable human have a happier gecko?
Exchange. Extant Relatives is all about educating others, but we there is still a lot out there that we don't know. Conversation and exchange of information both help us continue to learn and strengthen our advocacy for reptiles and amphibians. Data dump on us - how much can we learn together?
Future Directions
While Extant Relatives is designed to respond to community needs and interests, we do have a few "Future Directions" that we intend to pursue.
Current: Traveling "Reptile Shows"
Our traveling "reptile shows" offer education and small-scale interactions at community events, eco-expos, and private events. During this time, the reptiles live at a private residence that is unable to offer open hours and visits. We are in the process of applying for grants for our next step.
Next Step: Physical Location
Travel is stressful for reptiles, and we do not have as deep an impact as we would like. We are working toward opening a brick-and-mortar location that will allow us to hold open visitation hours, events, classes, and house more reptiles and amphibians to interact with.
10-15 Year Goal: Outdoor Enclosures, More Species.
Our ultimate dream is to be as cage-free as possible. Think climbing areas for arboreal species and ponds for turtles. Outdoor access for vital sunshine. Large "terrariums" to sit in and watch herps climb, slither, and hop through. We even imagine bringing extending the phylogenetic tree to birds!