A recent study published in the academic journal Animals has revealed that bearded dragons are the most popular animal in the exotic pet reptile market, followed by ball pythons and leopard geckos. In contrast, the popularity of green iguanas, Burmese pythons, chameleons, and red-eared sliders has decreased over the past decade. This trend highlights the rapidly growing billion-dollar pet industry surrounding reptiles, with a substantial portion of the trade remaining unknown and unmonitored due to the largely unregulated nature of the market.
Lead author of the research, Jose Valdez, notes that reptiles are among the most popular exotic pets globally, with evidence suggesting that over a third of all described reptile species are actively bought and sold worldwide. Tracking the buying and selling of exotic pet reptiles poses a significant challenge due to the lack of regulation and monitoring. To gain insight into this hidden market, the researchers utilized Google Trends data and surveyed 91 reptile enthusiasts to rank the most popular reptiles now, in the past, and anticipated future trends in the reptile pet market.
Both the Google Trends analysis and survey results identified bearded dragons, ball pythons, and leopard geckos as the top three most popular reptiles. Bearded dragons, valued for their appearance, personality, manageable size, and docile temperament, are particularly attractive to families and children due to their ease of handling and omnivorous diets. Ball pythons and leopard geckos also have attributes, such as their docile disposition and easy care requirements, that contribute to their popularity as pet reptiles.
According to the Google Trends analysis, the top ten most searched reptiles include bearded dragons, ball pythons, and leopard geckos, as well as chameleons, corn snakes, boa constrictors, green iguanas, crested geckos, red-eared sliders, and kingsnakes. Survey respondents predicted that blue-tongued skinks, tegus, uromastyx lizards, crested geckos, and ball pythons would experience the greatest increases in popularity over the next decade. Of particular interest to Valdez is the crested gecko, whose popularity has tripled over the past 20 years, following its rediscovery in 1994 after being thought to be extinct for over a century.
Valdez emphasizes the potential of utilizing Google Trends as a useful tool for determining the relative popularity of reptile pets and other animal groups. This quick and quantifiable analysis method can provide valuable insights into what is popular and in-demand not only at a global level but also at finer scales. With applications beyond the pet industry, Google Trends can be a valuable technology for monitoring and quantifying trends in research areas that are otherwise difficult to track. Ultimately, this research sheds light on the dynamic nature of the exotic pet reptile market and the factors influencing the popularity of different reptile species.
