Ethnoherpetology is the study of the past and present interrelationships between
human cultures and reptiles and amphibians. It is a sub-field of
ethnozoology, which in turn is a sub-field of
ethnobiology
]
Ethnobiology is the multidisciplinary field of study of relationships among peoples, biota, and environments integrating many perspectives, from the social, biological, and medical sciences; along with application to conservation and sustain ...
.
Snakes and amphibians have been considered
chthonic
In Greek mythology, deities referred to as chthonic () or chthonian () were gods or spirits who inhabited the underworld or existed in or under the earth, and were typically associated with death or fertility. The terms "chthonic" and "chthonian" ...
creatures in many cultures. Richly represented in mythology, culture, art, and literature, they often evoke revulsion, fear, suspicion and awe, sometimes even hysteria. Frogs and toads were believed to announce the rains with their choruses.
See also
*
Colorado River toad
*
Frogs in culture
*
Herpetology
Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...
*
Legendary salamander in popular culture
*
Nāga
In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...
*
Serpent (symbolism)
The serpent, or snake, is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin ''serpens'', a crawling animal or snake. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to humankindRobbins, L ...
Bibliography
* Bulmer, Ralph N.H. and Michael Tyler. 1968.
Karam classification of frogs. Journal of the Polynesian Society 77(4): 621–639.
* Indraneil Das – The Serpent's Tongue: A contribution to the ethnoherpetology of India and adjacent countries (Frankfurt am Main: Edition Chimaira, 1998)
* Walsh, M.T. – Snakes and Other Reptiles in Mtanga: preliminary notes on ethnoherpetology in a village bordering
Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe National Park () is a national park in Tanzania, located in the Kigoma District of the Kigoma Region. It was formerly called Gombe Stream National Park.Tanzania National Parks“Gombe Stream National Park”, 2008.
Overview
Established in ...
, western Tanzania. (1997)
* Bertrand, H. – Contribution à l'étude de l'herpétologie et de l'ethnoherpétologie en Anjou (A study on the herpetology and ethnoherpetology of Anjou province)
* Lee, J. C. – Ethnoherpetology in the Yucatán Peninsula. In Amphibians and Reptiles of the
Yucatán Peninsula
The Yucatán Peninsula ( , ; ) is a large peninsula in southeast Mexico and adjacent portions of Belize and Guatemala. The peninsula extends towards the northeast, separating the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west of the peninsula from the C ...
, by J. C. Lee. Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University, an Ivy League university in Ithaca, New York. It is currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, maki ...
, 1996.
An example of indigenous ethnoherpetological knowledge – notes written by a Bukusu-speaking research assistant from western Kenya:
* Wepukhulu, D. M. 1992
Bukusu Ethnozoology (Reptiles and Amphibians) Unpublished manuscript notes on Bukusu ethnozoology.
{{Ethnobiology
Ethnobiology
Herpetology