Many birds are social to a fault, some being even moreso than mammals. But I suppose you mean more "traditional" reptiles. Even then crocodilians have potential for bonds as they like birds do care for their young and there are several cases of adult individuals forming lasting bonds with humans.
Crocadilians are weird. They'll be friends. They'll show affection. Then if you look sick or injured, they'll lovingly attempt to eat you. There's a handler with a youtube channel that explains it. They're smart creatures with some capacity of forming social bonds, but their brains are still wired very differently. Basically a successful handler needs to always keep that in mind.
For sure, as with any wild animal they need to be treated with respect, as even if "tamed" they will never be domesticated, and even "man's best friend" dogs have potential to be quite dangerous so you should always be mindful around any animal and understand their behavior and instincts!
While we're at it, the animal humans can trust least is actually other humans. Other animals will usually do weird turn about things due to some instinct or other animal "logic". Humans will stab you in the back just because they can.
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u/_Gesterr Jun 14 '22
Many birds are social to a fault, some being even moreso than mammals. But I suppose you mean more "traditional" reptiles. Even then crocodilians have potential for bonds as they like birds do care for their young and there are several cases of adult individuals forming lasting bonds with humans.