History Main / TheReptilians

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lizardmen.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:L-R, top to bottom: [[Franchise/StarWars A Trandoshan]], [[Series/DoctorWho a Silurian]],\\
[[VideoGame/MasterOfOrion a Sakkran]], [[ComicBook/{{Hawkman}} a Lizarkon]]]]

The Reptilians are one of the stock HumanoidAliens, sporting reptile-like features and popping up frequently in ScienceFiction and abduction stories. They share quite a few similarities with LittleGreenMen and TheGreys in terms of appearance (human-like, large eyes, baldness, strange skin) and modus operandi (abduction, invasion), but they have enough unique features to set themselves apart.

Since they are reptiles they, of course, [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent are almost always evil]]. Unlike their Grey and Green cousins, though, the Reptilians tend to be portrayed as [[AlwaysChaoticEvil even more vicious and sadistic]], often abducting humans as a SlaveRace or as a [[ToServeMan food source]]. They are frequently [[VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifters]], changing into human form in order to infiltrate our ranks and take over the world before we even realize it. Sometimes, like LittleGreenMen and TheGreys, they can be more enigmatic invaders whose only direct contact with humans is through abductions. The trend nowadays, though, has been to give the Reptilians a more detailed culture than those two, typically as either ScaryDogmaticAliens or as the vanguard of a vast but decadent empire. They commonly have hidden bases BeneathTheEarth, which probably stems from a fusion of the {{Primal Fear}}s of both reptiles and the underground. Oftentimes, they are mentioned as having created TheGreys (by [[CloningBlues cloning]]) as a SlaveRace, until some decided to rebel, thus forcing the Greys to [[LEGOGenetics steal human DNA to survive.]]

Often they are [[SuperStrength very strong]], but there are also variants in which they are not much stronger than humans. In many cases, they are very sensitive to cold, but like heat instead. And often they can also [[HealingFactor quickly recover from injuries]]. Often, they are callous and consider humans weak because they give in to their feelings more quickly. But it may also be that they also [[HumanityIsInfectious develop feelings when they spend more time with humans]]. Nevertheless, [[InterspeciesRomance love relationships]] or even [[HalfHumanHybrid common descendants with humans]] are a rarity. And they are almost always hunters and carnivores, even the good ones among them.

If the biological history of the Reptilians gets mentioned, they are frequently revealed to be dinosaurs who attained sapience, somehow survived the K/T Extinction event, and [[{{Ultraterrestrials}} moved elsewhere among the stars]], not necessarily in that order.[[note]]To be technical, many believe humans and other mammals themselves evolved from reptilelike synapsids, so having the Reptilians actually remain what humans would recognize as reptilian would be quite a stretch, especially if they moved to a planet with a very different environment from Earth's to evolve in. Doesn't help that most dinosaurs weren't very "reptilian" in appearance, with feathers and the like — sapient dinosaurs would look more like toothed birds than anything else.[[/note]] Such dinosaur-derived creatures are sometimes called "Dinosauroids", a term first popularized by paleontologist Dale Russell's hypothetical ''Troodon''-descended humanoid. Naturally, those dinosaurs often turn out to have been descendants of the carnivorous theropods such as ''[[RaptorAttack Velociraptor]]'' or ''TyrannosaurusRex'' (it helps that many theropods are considered to have been the most intelligent dinosaurs there were). Alternatively, they evolved on a planet whose evolutionary history is just like that of Earth, but [[EvolutionaryLevels stalled out]] before mammals could take their [[HumansAreSpecial rightful place at the top]].

Depending on just how reptilian the Reptilians are portrayed to be (and depending on a program's budget), they can run the gamut from [[RubberForeheadAliens bald humans with]] [[LittleBitBeastly weird eyes]] to full-on LizardFolk with a human-like gait. They usually have a hatred or disgust for all mammals. It is common for Reptilians to insult humans by referring to them as "apes". Also, a rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the more reptilian the aliens are, the less likely they are to be portrayed as good guys, in line with ReptilesAreAbhorrent; sympathetic Reptilians are more likely to have NonMammalMammaries, among other things.

Compare LizardFolk and SnakePeople, which are generally the JustForFun/{{Fantasy Counterpart}}s to this trope.[[note]]Though the former tend to be more like dumb scaly orcs in contrast to the advanced Reptilians.[[/note]] Also compare TheFlatwoodsMonster, an alien cryptid that has a lesser-used reptilian alternate iteration. Finally, also ''also'' compare InsectoidAliens, another common kind of Earth fauna inspired extraterrestrials who are very ''very'' unlikely to be portrayed simpathetically.
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!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Film]]
* In the ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' movie, the Mushroom Kingdom is a parallel dimension populated by the humanoid descendants of the dinosaurs. They range between being [[HumanAliens indistinguishable from humans]] to being RubberForeheadAliens (Creator/DennisHopper's portrayal of King Koopa) to the outright LizardFolk-like Goombas.
* The Ymir in ''Film/TwentyMillionMilesToEarth'' looks more or less like a humanoid lizard or theropod dinosaur, although it quickly grows into a giant.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic plays a ConspiracyTheorist in his music video for [[Music/MandatoryFun "Foil"]] (a parody of [[Music/{{Lorde}} Lorde's]] "Royal"). At the end of the video, the Reptilian turns out to be [[spoiler: the director of the music video (played by Creator/PattonOswalt)]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
* A sectarian belief in the Adam and Eve account from the Literature/BookOfGenesis is that the ForbiddenFruit Eve ate of was actually a forbidden sex act between Eve and Satan (who at that point was not yet forced to "go about his belly" like a common snake), which resulted in the birth of Cain, the first of the "serpent seed" that somehow survived and became the Jews, of which Jesus in [[Literature/TheFourGospels the gospel of John]] had denounced as being "children of the devil". This belief also somehow fosters the idea that SexIsEvil.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* On ''Radio/OpieAndAnthony'', Creator/LouisCK asked Donald Rumsfeld if he and Dick Cheney were part of a Reptilian conspiracy to control the world. Donald declined to answer.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* ''TabletopGame/Space1889'' has the lizard men of Mars. They are not evil or sadistic though.
* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Among the various SnakePeople, LizardFolk, and {{Draconic Humanoid}}s in the game, the serpentine yuan-ti stand out as this trope due to their penchant for sending "purebloods" (low-ranking individuals who look mostly human) into human society as spies. Meanwhile, the spinoff ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Reptoids, a race of shapeshifting infiltrators from another planet or dimension (they refuse to divulge their origins even under duress, so it is somewhat unclear) who seek to prepare the target world for invasion. They return in ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'', as noted below.
* The Ithklur in ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'' are a ProudWarriorRace that serves as soldiers to the Hivers (who need them badly being rather courage-deprived as a rule). The Ithklur are not evil but are [[BoisterousBruiser hearty souls that love a good fight]].
* ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' has some snake-[[HalfHumanHybrids beastmen]], including at least one who Exalted. It also has the dinosauroid Dragon Kings, who predate humanity and are almost extinct in the current day.
* ''TabletopGame/InfiniteWorlds'' for the ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'' has an Earth that feature lizards. It is called "The United States of Lizarda". GURPS had created a stat for these lizards by loosely based on Dale Russell's opinion. (See Dale Russell's opinion below in the Real Life section.)
* ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'', being based on mad science, has these in the Third Race. They are manes (creatures made when the idea behind them was disproven- these guys came to life when everyone realized that there ''wasn't'' a hidden continent populated by lizard people) who formerly lived in the Bardo of Lemuria, before they [[RetGone ret-goned]] it by screwing with TimeTravel. They formed the Baramins of Lemuria to steer scientific development so their home could come about again, but they were overthrown by human Genii in a process beginning in the Renaissance. The race is now dying out, with the few remaining members in hiding.
* ''TabletopGame/{{Starfinder}}'':
** The vesk are a ProudWarriorRace of ScaryDogmaticAliens who control a powerful, militarized empire and have formed an uneasy alliance with the Pact Worlds, after being forced to put their original plans for first contact -- armed invasion and subjugation -- on indefinite hold by the arrival of [[SwarmOfAlienLocusts something even worse]].
** The reptoids are the classic conspiracy theory take on this trope, in contrast to the vesk's more modern science-fiction interpretation. They're scaly humanoids with tails and lizardlike crests in their true forms, but they can [[VoluntaryShapeshifting alter their appearance]] to resemble other humanoid species, an ability they employ to infiltrate other cultures and manipulate them for their own unknown ends.
* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
** The [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Alien Alien]] archetype. Most of the members have some sort of lizard-like attributes to them, and they are all Reptile-type. They aren't exactly portrayed in a good light either, considering their card artworks depict things like [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Brainwashing_Beam brainwashing]], [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/%22A%22_Cell_Recombination_Device experimentation]], and [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Planet_Pollutant_Virus planetary invasion]].
** There is also the [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Worm Worm]] archetype. While they don't have much in the way of reptilian features, they are also extraterrestrial invaders, and are likely Reptile-type because of this trope.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* You can get these in ''VideoGame/SimEarth'' if dinosaurs or reptiles become sentient.
* Deis/Bleu in the ''VideoGame/BreathOfFire'' series is one of these. She would be a [[SnakePeople snake person]], but her entry in ''VideoGame/BreathOfFireIV'' shows her to be a [[{{shapeshifting}} shapeshifter]] goddess, so she falls into this category as well as SnakePeople. She is also a rare ''heroic'' example, if a bit of TheHedonist.
* The [[SnakeTalk snake-talking]] Thrynn in ''VideoGame/{{Starflight}}''. Interstellar merchants and con-artists who, despite their depiction as having purely carnivorous dental structure, find themselves in constant war with their [[PlantAliens neighbors, the Elowan]]. The Thrynn have [[EatsBabies a taste for Elowan "headfruit"]] you see. Despite this habit, they are generally peaceful with other races, and selling plutonium to them can be highly profitable--unless you have an Elowan aboard, that is.
* ''Franchise/MassEffect'':
** The krogan and the drell; the former are hulking, dinosaur-style [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior-race-guys]], while the latter are more humanoid (but still scaly) and specifically built to be MrFanservice. According to Javik in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'', the salarians were essentially frogs back in his time.
--->'''Javik:''' The lizard people evolved?\\
'''Liara:''' I believe they're amphibious. \\
'''Javik:''' They used to eat flies.
** The turians (in this case, SpaceRomans) remind some humans of the link between dinosaurs and birds.
** Unusually, none of the quasi-reptilian species from ''Franchise/MassEffect'' are portrayed as evil. The krogan tend to be aggressive, warlike, and are frequently antagonists from shady mercenary gangs and the like, but two party members from the series are krogan and the species shows strong signs of moving beyond its violent past. The turians attacked the first humans they encountered, but this was because of a misunderstanding. The drell overindustrialized and destroyed the ecosystem of their planet, but they are now the devoted servants of the gentle, mystical hanar. The salarians have lots of....ethically questionable scientists, but overall they are portrayed positively.
* ''VideoGame/DarkVoid'': [[AncientAstronauts The Watchers]] are manipulative shapeshifting reptilians exiled into AnotherDimension by early humans. In keeping with this trope, their [[BizarreAlienBiology life cycle]] is based on metamorphosis: they emerge from the egg as larval, wormlike hatchlings, and they pilot PoweredArmor suits as basic mooks. As they get older and more intelligent, they grow arms and legs and become more snake-like; they also get to pilot something like an alien HumongousMecha. Finally, the Elder form is the most intelligent, and can shapeshift to perfectly mimic a human appearance. These serve as spies in human society and leaders for the rest of the species.
* The Cardianon in ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope''. Originally a primitive race, the [[BigBad Grigori]] accelerated their evolution, and provided them with knowledge that led to them becoming one of the most technologically advanced races in the universe in a very short span of time, but also turned them into a bunch of fanatical planet conquerors. They look like somewhat reptilian humanoids in the lowest stage of evolution they're seen in, but their more advanced forms are traditional lizardmen, then dragonmen, and lastly, full fledged dragons.
* ''VideoGame/StarsInShadow'' has two races that fall under this: the Ashdar and the [[SnakePeople Gremark]].
* The Tarka from ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' evolved from lizards but are very human-like, resembling [[http://sots.rorschach.net/images/9/95/SotS_TarkaMale.jpg scaled apes]] more than actual lizards. They are a highly civilized and pragmatic [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy warrior race]] whose empire is a few thousand years older than human civilization, and are presented as sympathetic if fairly machiavellian, warlike, and prone to picking on those weaker than themselves.
%%* The Sakkra, from the ''VideoGame/MasterOfOrion'' series.%%ZCE
* The turn-based strategy ''VideoGame/SpaceEmpires 4'' has red lizard-people with vaguely [[Franchise/StarTrek Starfleet-esque]] ship designs as one of the possible appearances for your chosen empire. They are included in ''Space Empires 5'' as well, for which they decorated the cover, and originated in the third game of the series. Called the Jraenar in all games.
* ''VideoGame/TrafficDepartment2192'' has the Selarian species, and their representative in Vulthaven's TD, Lieutenant Junior Grade Koth. If he's any indication, their species [[SnakeTalk hisses their S's]].
* The obscure XBOX shooter ''VideoGame/BruteForce'' has Brutus, a "Feral" (a scaly green lizard man with a voice like [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget Doctor Claw]]) as one of the main PlayerCharacters. He's by far the toughest squad member, and sports a HealingFactor and AuraVision.
* The Reptites in ''VideoGame/ChronoTrigger'', who were the pinnacle of dinosaur evolution in 65 million BC. They oppressed the caveman population until [[PhlebotinumKilledTheDinosaurs Lavos landed]]. In an alternate timeline in ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'', they evolved into [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragons]].
* The Skedar from ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' bear some similarities to the Reptilians, being bipedal, dinosaur-like creatures who masquerade as Scandinavian men. Their offspring resemble tiny, vicious lizards.
* The Teladi from the ''VideoGame/{{X}}-Universe'' series are a [[HumanoidAliens humanoid]] reptilian race whose aspect of life is entirely motivated by [[ProudMerchantRace money]]. Their society is comprised of a MegaCorp which dominates their politics and businesses, and their government is essentially a corporate republic. Because of their reptilian nature, the Teladi have a... [[SnakeTalk tendency to speak with an accent that emphasizes the letter s]] in such a way that it becomes [[MemeticMutation memetic]]. [[TrueNeutral They tend to be neutral to all the other factions]], even the SpacePirates. Because of this last note, it's not surprising to see some factories produce a fancy drug known as [[FantasticDrug Space Weed]], which is basically the series' version of marijuana [-[[RecycledInSpace IN SPACE!]]-] This drug is considered contraband in any sector that isn't Teladi or Pirate-owned, and often is a popular source of income to would-be smugglers.
* In ''VideoGame/ZombiU'', The Prepper seriously believes that the Queen is one of them.
* The Snakemen in ''Videogame/XCOMUFODefense'' are human-sized snake-like aliens with rapid reproduction times and appear about midway through the game. In ''Videogame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'', the Thin Men are a reptilian species that have been genetically-modified to resemble humans in order to serve as infiltration units. ''VideoGame/{{XCOM 2}}'' wheeled out the Vipers, a race of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb0Fo6-_b3g sexy lady snakes]], the Thin Men's true form.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
** When they don't resemble InsectoidAliens, the Space Pirates occasionally have elements of this, particularly in the first ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime''. This may be tied into the fact that two of their leaders, Ridley and Kraid, are both very reptilian, being a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent dragon]] and a Franchise/{{Godzilla}}-like {{Kaiju}} respectively (at least since ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid''; the [[VideoGame/{{Metroid 1}} very first game]] had concept art portraying Ridley as some weird multi-eyed bug creature and Kraid as having fur).
** ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime3Corruption'' has the MultiArmedAndDangerous Reptilicus of Bryyo, one of the more atypical examples of this trope. Once known as the intelligent Bryyonians, with enough clout to have extensive contact with the [[{{Precursors}} Chozo]], a brutal conflict [[MagicVersusScience between the tech-using Lords of Science and the magic-using Primals]] devastated the planet. The point of no return came when the Leviathan Seed crashed into the planet and spread [[TheCorruption Phazon]] everywhere, after which the Bryyonians degenerated into savage beasts.
* The Draske in ''VideoGame/StarbaseOrion'' are small, winged reptiles whose natural flight ability makes them superior pilots and navigators. [[AllThereInTheManual According to their backstory]], they are not warlike and haven't had to fight anyone in the thousands of years they have been exploring space (mostly using sublight ships). They are extremely long-lived (their lifespans are measured in thousands of years) and are ruled by [[{{Matriarchy}} Matriarchs]]. Every year, many Draske participate in tournaments. The victors experience a great boost in their careers. Those who lose the tournaments three times typically commit suicide to spare their families the shame. The Draske Hegemony incorporates several other races as client members, including the [[StarfishAliens Harge]] and the [[CatFolk Felinoids]]. The reason they're on part with the other races in the game is mostly due to them being unaccustomed to warfare.
* The Ma-non of ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' are a highly nonstandard example. Essentially resembling short [[Franchise/StarWars Gungans]] with more reptile-like scutes and ridges, their highly technology-dependent culture means that nearly every single one is a BrilliantButLazy ManChild who prefers to spend time eating [[TrademarkFavoriteFood pizza]] rather than putting effort into building and maintaining New LA. They're as chipper and trusting as can be, always excitedly asking questions about their new human and Nopon friends and never assuming maliciousness from anyone (Ackwar of the Mediators is an exception, as his familiarity with the cultures and mindsets of humans and other xenos makes him far less naive when it comes to his detective work). The "reptilian" part only ever explicitly comes up with a prejudiced shopkeeper who doesn't want to interact with the Ma-non due to her preexisting anxiety around reptiles from Earth; with some coaxing from the player, she can be convinced that they're nicer aliens than she is initially willing to give them credit for.
* From ''VideoGame/{{Battleborn}}'':
** Pendles is an adolescent Roa, a type of [[SnakePeople anthropomorphic snake alien species]] which spend a part of their lives as bipedal creatures before eventually shedding their limbs and return to living beneath the waves. He put a stop to his natural molting process via hormone therapy after his right snake tail-like tentacle fell off.
** A couple of skins for the other Battleborn turn them into reptilians. Whiskey Foxtrot's "It's Reptile Foxtrot!" skin turns him into a reptile scaled version of his normal self. Meanwhile, Ernest's appropriately named "Devolved" skin basically devolves the [[BirdPeople bird man]] back into a feathered dino man.
* ''VideoGame/{{Stellaris}}'' has "reptilian" as a category of species (along with stuff like "avian", "mammalian" or "fungoid"). There's an achievement for doing the "alien infiltration" ploy on a pre-FTL reptilian species with a human empire, and the achievement's symbol is [[Series/{{V1983}} a reversed "V"]].
* The Elites/Sangheili from ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' are a cross between this and PredatorPastiche, essentially resembling humanoid theropods with segmented mandibles.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Legrakix is a morbidly obese version of this trope, though he isn't evil. Unless eating everybody's lunch at work is evil.
* The Reptoids in ''Webcomic/TryingHuman'' can be divided into two main subspecies: Draconian and Terran Reptoids. The long-tailed Terran Reptoids evolved from Troodon dinosaurs and were uplifted by the winged Draconian Reptoids, making them forever indebted to their benefactors. Both sub-races are capable of shape-shifting and enjoy eating meat, including human.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Earthsong}}'', one of the ill-fated Guards in Earthsong's welcoming party for Beluosus is a Reptilian.
* ''Webcomic/ReptilisRex'' is centered around the "Reptoids" being forced to move to the surface and reveal themselves to mankind, which [[FantasticRacism treats them like second class citizens]]. They can't shapeshift per se but own shapeshifting pets which they can wear as masks, hence there have been an unknown number of Reptoid infiltrators throughout history including [[spoiler:UsefulNotes/BarackObama and Mitt Romney]].
* They make a brief appearance in ''Webcomic/RasputinBarxotka'', with their planned invasion of Earth thwarted by the strip's version of TheGreys.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* From ''[[Blog/ElChiguireBipolar El Chigüire Bipolar]]'': [[http://www.elchiguirebipolar.net/03-10-2014/maduro-oposicion-irresponsable-no-se-ha-manifestado-contra-lagartos-aliens-asesinos/ Maduro: "The irresponsible opposition hasn't spoken against the murderous alien lizards."]]
* ''[[https://www.facebook.com/lizardpeopleofny/ Lizard People Of New York]]'' {{parodies}} the popular photoblog ''Humans Of New York'' by re-captioning the photos of humans into portraits of shape-shifting Reptilians.
* Website/BabylonBee: Politicians are exempted from COVID lockdown restrictions because [[https://babylonbee.com/news/politicians-officially-exempted-from-lockdown-rules-since-lizard-people-cant-catch-covid their Reptilian nature gives them natural immunity]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* The Raptors from ''The WesternAnimation/StormHawks''. They're all [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent irredeemably evil]] except for Leugey, who's too stupid to be anything but a bad guy.
* ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Thundercats 2011}} [=ThunderCats (2011)=]]]'' has Third Earth's Lizards, overlapping with LizardFolk. They're adversaries to the Thundercats, a rare {{deconstructed}} example of ReptilesAreAbhorrent, reacting to generations of oppression and FantasticRacism at the hands of the [[CatFolk Cats]]. Some are decent, pulling an AndroclesLion in return for a Cat's uncharacteristic display of altruism.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Bravestarr}}'' has a race of SnakePeople, including villainess Vipra and good guy Handlebar who had a mustache.
* The Triceratons, essentially ProudWarriorRace anthropomorphic ceratopsians, from ''Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles.''
* The truly strange ''WesternAnimation/MightyDucksTheAnimatedSeries'' had a straight-up evil race made up of anthropomorphic ceratopsians, along with more conventional lizard-people types. And really, if the aforementioned Triceratons, Voth, and especially the Quintaglios are all "reptiles", then it isn't fair not to mention the titular duck-people.
* One of the Rulon subraces on ''WesternAnimation/DinoRiders'' was a race of SnakePeople.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In "Keep Beach City Weird", it's revealed that [[ConspiracyTheorist Ronaldo]] blames all the crazy happenings in town on [[MemeticMutation snake people, or "sneople"]], who secretly control the world. He's initially disappointed to find out it's all because of the Gems (to whom the citizens of Beach City are FantasticallyIndifferent), but at the end of the episode Ronaldo is inspired to make up a ([[TheCuckoolanderWasRight surprisingly accurate]]) conspiracy theory about "polymorphic sentient rocks".
* The inhabitants of Planet Bone in ''WesternAnimation/ShadowRaiders'' are also reptilian.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', the Pope is one just like in many a conspiracy theory. The difference is that this is known by everyone, to the point of being a variation of [[IsTheAnswerToThisQuestionYes "Is the Pope Catholic?"]] Additionally, more reptilian aliens appear as background characters in a few episodes.
* A race of iguana-like alien gangsters appear as antagonists in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlack''.
* On ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', all the high-level executives at the [[TakeOverTheWorld world domination]] bent MegaCorp Conglom-O (including the CEO, Mr. Dupette) are [[FunnyAnimal lizards]] with a habit of picking their noses.
* Whip in ''WesternAnimation/TrippingTheRift'' is a chameleon-like alien.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* The Martians in the 1962 Topps trading card series ''Mars Attacks'' looked like LittleGreenMen, only with skull-like faces and vaguely reptilian skin. When the cards were adapted for the [[Film/MarsAttacks 1996 Tim Burton movie]], the production designers tried to make the Martians (according to WordOfGod) look like a cross between skeletons and snakes.
* Creator/DavidIcke advocates the idea that Reptilians are real. He claims that they come from the Alpha [[MeaningfulName Draconis]] star system, and that UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush, Elizabeth II, and many other world leaders are among their ranks.
* Website/AboveTopSecret, a large conspiracy site, is a good source for people who believe these creatures exist and are behind global conspiracies.
* Memes went around claiming that Music/JustinBieber was one. It started with a video of Bieber's eyes becoming reptile like during a supposed glamour failure. This was actually a common video compression glitch that caused the pupils to appear vertically elongated. Bieber wasn't the first celebrity where conspiracy theorists noticed the glitch, but he was the one who people thought was the funniest.
** The same thing was also applied to Website/{{Facebook}} founder Mark Zuckerberg, with memes claiming that he is either a lizard or a robot due to his eyes and due to his facial expressions.
** The online cult leader and fringe Website/{{YouTube}}r Sherry Shriner, sort of a female, American David Icke, claimed in apparent ''earnest'' that Bieber was a Reptilian, in addition to Selena Gomez, Queen Elizabeth II, and various other people. She also seriously claimed Taylor Swift was a vampire.
* In [[TheEighties the early '80s]], Dale Russell, curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada (now the Canadian Museum of Nature), proposed that, if the dinosaur genus Troodon [[AlternateHistory hadn't died out]], it could have evolved into a sentient humanoid creature, christened [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troodon#The_.22Dinosauroid.22 "Dinosauroid"]] by Russel. Since then, the Dinosauroid (in appearance vaguely resembling a scaly [[TheGreys Grey alien]]) has been criticized as being implausible, because it is too anthropomorphic. Also, ScienceMarchesOn, and now we know that Troodon's appearance probably had more in common with birds than with reptiles. Thus, when paleontologist [[http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006/11/dinosauroids-revisited.html Darren Naish]] and artist Nemo Ramjet revisited the concept during TheNoughties, the result was [[http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/8094/2150/1600/dinosauroid.jpg decidedly less humanoid]] and veered into BirdPeople territory instead of this trope.
[[/folder]]
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* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': Among the various SnakePeople, LizardFolk, and {{Draconic Humanoid}}s in the game, the serpentine yuan-ti stand out as this trope due to their penchant for sending "purebloods" (low-ranking individuals who look mostly human) into human society as spies. Meanwhile, the spinoff ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' has Reptoids, a race of shapeshifting infiltrators from another planet or dimension (they refuse to divulge their origins even under duress, so it is somewhat unclear) who seek to prepare the target world for invasion.

* Whip in ''WesternAnimation/TrippingTheRift'' is a chamaleon-like alien.

[[folder:Literature]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* The Drazi, along with other less significant species, in ''Series/BabylonFive'', although their ProudWarriorRace personalities are a bit different from the metaphorically cold-blooded norm, and were not hostile to Humans (during the [[HopelessWar Earth-Minbari War]] they were the one member of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds to send warships to help Earth. Even after their fleet 'disappeared' in hyperspace and they were forced to neutrality, they still gave Earth the plans for a WaveMotionGun to mount on defensive satellites). The Drazi do engage in random ceremonial war with one another in one episode, which proves to be a hazard [[spoiler: until Ivanova inadvertently forces them to stop]].
* One episode of ''Series/BuckRogersInTheTwentyFifthCentury'' involved Reptilian aliens disguised as humans. Buck exposed them by lowering the temperature. Being cold-blooded, they collapsed.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'' had an episode dealing with this trope, "Leapin' Lizards", where the dead guy of the week was a believer in a reptilian conspiracy. Their website is shown, with several world leaders morphing into reptilians, and one of the guys hallucinates Brass with a reptilian tongue and Greg with reptilian characteristics-which leads to Greg being bitten.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** The Ice Warriors, the inhabitants of Mars, though their reptilian features aren't emphasized as much because they're usually seen in full armour.
** The Silurians and their aquatic cousins the Sea Devils[[note]]both of these are technically FantasticSlurs: the [[Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]] has "Earth Reptiles" as a more respectful term, and the Eleventh Doctor uses the taxonomically inaccurate "''Homo reptilia''"[[/note]]. They are not extraterrestrials, but the previous inhabitants of Earth before humans came around. They do live underground and abduct people, though, which still fits in with Reptilian lore. However the [[Recap/DoctorWhoS7E2DoctorWhoAndTheSilurians serial]] in which the Silurians are introduced [[GreyAndGrayMorality avoids presenting them as evil]]; instead they're NotSoDifferent from the humans.
** There are also the Slitheen, a clan of Raxacoricofallapatorians who invade Earth, kill human government officials, and wear their skins to infiltrate our society.
* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'': The extremely brutal Scarrans, who create one of the two [[TheEmpire evil empires]] of the show. The one HalfHumanHybrid we see of them is also a vicious ManipulativeBastard. He also requires technology to survive (cooling rods in the brain that have to be replaced regularly), as his reptilian half craves heat, while his HumanAlien half can't stand it.
* ''Series/LandOfTheLost'': The Sleestak, who serve as the main villains of the show, and their ancestors the Altrusians, who are different enough both physically (they're shorter, stockier and with an extra finger) and mentally (they're far more intelligent) to qualify as a separate race.
* ''Series/TheOrville'': The Krill are a hostile race of reptilian humanoids with pale skin who double as ScaryDogmaticAliens, being religious zealots who see it as their divine right to rule over all other lifeforms.
* Many of the alien species featured in ''Series/TheOuterLimits1995'' fit this trope. In most cases, ReptilesAreAbhorrent.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'' has the Unas. They are a species that lives primitively and is a race of hunters. On some planets, they are also the slaves of humans. They were the first hosts for the Goa'uld before they developed a preference for humans as hosts.
* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
** The Gorn. Most famously one had a duel with Kirk in the original series. In other media they've been more neutral, or in Videogame/StarTrekStarfleetCommand they're actually allies of The Federation.
** The rarely-seen brandy-making Saurians.
** The Cardassians. Though they're the least reptilian, looking pretty much like [[RubberForeheadAliens humans with scales tacked on]], they also happen to be the most villainous of the reptoid lot.
** The Reptilian Xindi in ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''.
** The Voth were descended from Earth hadrosaurs. Which is at least a new one, as far as Dinosauroids go.
** The Hirogen and the Jem'Hadar also at least look the part, and are the villains in most of their appearances.
** The Beta Annari, whose highly-developed olfactory senses make them a LivingLieDetector. They can also smell the last thing you ate and the last person you had sex with...[[OutWithABang if they're not the same thing]].
* The Visitors from ''Series/{{V 1983}}'' are the {{Trope Codifier}}s. They infiltrate many parts of human society, and they want to ''[[ToServeMan eat us]]'' (along with other tasty mammals). Rather than shapeshifting, however, they use fake human-like skin to mask their true appearance, a method best exemplified by the iconic shot of Diana peeling back the skin on one side of her face to reveal green scaly skin and a catlike eye. It should be noted that, aside from [[FollowTheLeader inspiring the creation of other fictional Reptilians]], ''V'' led to the plethora of conspiracy theories about Reptilians, which were pretty much nonexistent before the show aired.
* The ''Series/{{V 2009}}'' reboot series was much the same, except the Visitors were more of a combination of [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute yucky reptile-people and icky bug-people]]. The reboot also has them literally grafting human skin onto their scales. One form of punishment for the [=Vs=] is to be skinned alive, which causes just as much pain as it would a human, since the grafted skin has perfectly working nerves. There's also the possibility of [[HalfHumanHybrid interbreeding]] between humans and [=Vs=].
* In ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds1988'', the Martians are essentially turned into the aforementioned Visitors. Except that they're body snatchers.

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic plays a ConspiracyTheorist in his music video for [[Music/MandatoryFun "Foil"]] (a parody of [[Music/{{Lorde}} Lorde's]] "Royal"). At the end of the video, the Reptilian turns out to be [[spoiler: the director of the music video (played by Creator/PattonOswalt)]].

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]
* A sectarian belief in the Adam and Eve account from the Literature/BookOfGenesis is that the ForbiddenFruit Eve ate of was actually a forbidden sex act between Eve and Satan (who at that point was not yet forced to "go about his belly" like a common snake), which resulted in the birth of Cain, the first of the "serpent seed" that somehow survived and became the Jews, of which Jesus in [[Literature/TheFourGospels the gospel of John]] had denounced as being "children of the devil". This belief also somehow fosters the idea that SexIsEvil.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* On ''Radio/OpieAndAnthony'', Creator/LouisCK asked Donald Rumsfeld if he and Dick Cheney were part of a Reptilian conspiracy to control the world. Donald declined to answer.
[[/folder]]

* The ''Literature/PerryRhodan'' universe naturally features its share of reptilian aliens all the way back to the Topsiders (Topsidians? Well, Topsid -- without an 'e' -- is what their homeworld is called in any event) who in some of the earliest issues failed to invade Earth and instead hit the Vega system only due to a navigational error. If there's a general stereotype associated with intelligent reptiles in this series, it's a notional tendency to be more coldly rational than "hot-blooded" mammalian lifeforms; beyond that they tend to get treated as simply people like everybody else.
* In the science fiction novel ''Literature/NationOfTheThirdEye'' by K.K. Savage, there is the reptilian race of Draconians. They live in a higher astral dimension but can also enter physicality at will. Needless to say, they are among the bad guys.
* Creator/HPLovecraft's denizens of the Nameless City are described as "an unnamed race of reptiles with a body shaped like a cross between a crocodile and a seal with a strange head common to neither, involving a protruding forehead, horns, lack of a nose and an alligator-like jaw".
* The Venusians in Kenneth J. Sterling's and Creator/HPLovecraft's short story ''Literature/InTheWallsOfEryx'' are describe as reptilian.
* The very bestial-looking Hork-Bajir from the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' series are a highly atypical example. They make up a large portion of the evil [[PuppeteerParasite Yeerk]] army due to their large size and numerous blades all over their bodies, but when free from Yeerk control they're naturally docile creatures who use their blades to [[HerbivoresAreFriendly slice bark from trees for food]]. They are among the less sharp-minded sapient aliens portrayed, but every few generations a "Seer" is born with very acute mental faculties.
* Invoked by the Pervects of the ''Literature/MythAdventures'' series, who are green-scaled, sharp-toothed humanoids from the dimension Perv. Although they look the part, most ''actual'' Pervects aren't so much evil as rude, pushy, and egotistical; their racial reputation for being decadent, cruel and bloodthirsty is mostly propaganda, disseminated by the Pervects themselves to discourage non-Pervect freeloaders from immigrating to their wealthier, more advanced dimension.
* Within the early {{fantasy}} genre, one very unique forerunner of this trope is the Green Lady, Creator/CSLewis's central villain in ''Literature/TheSilverChair'' (the fourth ''[[Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia Narnia]]'' book published, and the sixth in terms of InUniverse chronology). From within her ElaborateUndergroundBase, the Lady subtly acquires power through governmental infiltration and mind control, and she alternates between a regular human form and a ScaledUp form. Of course, since The Reptilians largely remained an UnbuiltTrope back in TheFifties, the Lady bears many differences from this trope as we know it today. For example, her reptilian form isn't humanoid like most examples today, but rather a massive venomous snake. Also, instead of The Reptilians being a whole species of invaders, the Lady is the only example that we see. [[DiabolusExNihilo Lewis never reveals her origins]] beyond vaguely hinting that she could be [[VillainousLegacy somehow connected]] to the White Witch from ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'', nor does he specify whether her original form is humanoid, reptilian, or something else entirely.
* In ''Literature/TimeRiders'', the heroes travel back in time to the dinosaurs. There they encounter a species of humanoid and intelligent dinosaurs.
* ''Literature/TheHighCrusade'': The Wersgorix are reptilian aliens who have blue skin.
* In ''[[Literature/SolarWarden Alien Secrets]]'', the race the humans calls the Saurians are one of the three known alien races (alongside the [[HumanAliens Nordics]] and TheGreys) and are the only race to be truly extraterrestrial. The other two are {{Ultraterrestrials}} from different time periods in the future (about 11,000 years and a million years, respectively). They first made contact with the Nazis (who called them the Eidesche, "lizards") in TheThirties, after one of their ships crash-landed in the Black Forest with only a single survivor. Since they're a telepathic HiveMind, more Eidesche followed and offered to help the Nazis develop advanced aircraft using ArtificialGravity and other alien tech (apparently, had the war lasted a little longer, the Nazis would have had the weapons they needed to crush the Allies once and for all). After the fall of Berlin, the man in charge of the secret program fled on an experimental space/time vehicle called ''Die Glocke'' ("the bell"), piloted by an Eidesche. The vehicle traveled 20 years into the future and landed in Kecksburg, PA, where it was retrieved by the Americans.
* ''Literature/ShadowsOfTheEmpire'': Xizor's people, the Falleen, had evolved from reptiles. However, they look more like humans than most examples, even having some hair, though only enough for a single topknot (oddly). Their females [[NonMammalMammaries have breasts]] as well (though none appear in the book). Aside from green, slightly scaly skin, they don't have much "reptilian" features.

* The Aandrisk in ''Literature/TheLongWayToASmallAngryPlanet'' look like human-sized bipedal lizards with multicolored feathers on their heads.
* Several are seen throughout ''Literature/AlmostNight''. They have green scales and never wear shirts. A row of red spikes go down their back. They're not universally good or evil.
%%* The villains in the Literature/JasonWood story "Viewed in a Harsh Light".%%ZCE
* Creator/MarionZimmerBradley's ''The Brass Dragon''. The Dikri are a race of cold, ruthless dragon-like aliens who can Shape Shift into human form. They act as renegades, interfering on primitive worlds in violation of interstellar rules.
* ''Literature/{{Worldwar}}'':
** The Race is a species of chameleon-like reptilians whose strong sense of cultural pride drives them to try and conquer Earth. The two species they subjugated before invading Earth (Rabotevs and Halessi, though those are probably the Race's names for them) are also reptilian in nature, as they are mentioned as being fairly similar to the Race.
** In ''Homeward Bound'', humans finally meet members of the two other species after reaching Home, although they claim to have already seen pictures of them. This is also the first description of the races that the readers get. The Rabotevs have two thumbs on each hand and eye stalks instead of the Race's eye turrets. The Halessi look more like cross between LittleGreenMen and lizards, being small, squeaky-voiced, more erect and smaller-snouted than members of the Race. Unlike the Race, the Rabotevs and the Halessi don't suffer narcotic or mating-inducing effects from ginger.
* Creator/EdgarRiceBurroughs created the Horibs for his ''Literature/{{Pellucidar}}'' series. Pellucidar also has the telepathic GiantFlyer race, the Mahar, descended from pterosaurs.
* The Viis, the main antagonists of Deborah Chester's ''[[http://www.lucasaliens.com/ The]] Literature/AlienChronicles'' novels, are decadent, humanoid, frilled lizards.
* The [=AAnn=] in Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/HumanxCommonwealth'' universe. Lighter and weaker than humans but much faster with sharp claws and teeth. [[spoiler:Almost]] [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent Always the antagonist]] when they appear. Includes SssssnakeTalk. They also communicate with hand gestures to show emotion, although this is a common linguistic trait in that universe. [[spoiler:There have been several sympathetic [=AAnn=] characters in the Flinx setting, even one that fell in love with the titular redhead. None outlast the book they are introduced in.]]
* Creator/AndreNorton's ScienceFiction novels in the Council/Confederation universe feature the Zacathans, a race of Reptilians whose [[PlanetOfHats "hat"]] is archaeology and history. They live at least a thousand years on average. [[LawOfAlienNames Their names all begin with "Z".]]
** ''Literature/{{Android at Arms}}'': When examining the facility in which they had been imprisoned, the protagonists find plans for building a [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Ridiculously Zacathan Robot]] duplicate of an unknown Zacathan.
** ''Brother to Shadows'': The protagonist works with a Zacathan for an extended period, one of the best glimpses of them that we get.
** ''Literature/UnchartedStars'': The protagonists hook up with a Zacathan archaeologist in the endgame, since they have a common objective: to find the {{Precursors}}' source of the zero stones.
** ''The X Factor'': The head of the dig on Mimir is Zacathan.
** ''Star Rangers'' (alternate title ''The Last Planet''): The hero's best friend is a Zacathan, a fellow member of their reconnaissance team. Although highly intelligent and knowledgeable, he's somewhat less science-oriented than most Zacathan portrayals. He's also more ready to fight than most, and mentions that his brother is highly skilled with a [[LaserBlade force blade]]. "Zippp--and there's an enemy down with half his insides gone--"
* The Quintaglios of Robert J. Sawyer's ''Literature/QuintaglioAscension'' trilogy are the descendants of small Tyrannosaurs. Since the series focuses on an important period of their planet's history, we get a characterization of them that is far more nuanced than usual.
* A Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries novel--''The Captain's Table: War Dragons''--had the humanoid reptilian Anjiri and the theropod-like Nykkus [[spoiler: which turn out to be [[BizarreAlienBiology two forms of the same species]].]] While their dialogue does not use SssssnakeTalk, their language relies so heavily on gestures that {{Universal Translator}}s can't handle it. While the first ones to show up are basically incompetent SpacePirates, it turns out that neither of these traits [[PlanetOfHats is their hat]].
** The Gnalish in the ''Literature/StarTrekNovelVerse'' are a rare example of a benevolent, heroic Reptilian race. Okay, they're still grumpy and sour, but at least they're friendly.
* Lisanne Norman's ''Literature/SholanAlliance'' series has the antagonist species, the Valtegans with no tail, and the friendly Sumaan with a very strong thick tail.
* Ssilissa of the ''Literature/{{Larklight}}'' trilogy; blue, scaly, with spines for hair and a heavily clubbed tail. Is noted occasionally for averting NonMammalMammaries (and thus not fitting into dresses cut for humans), and has a few self-image issues on account of being raised by humans. [[spoiler:In the third book, we meet her race, the Snilth, a [[LadyLand matriarchal]] ProudWarriorRace who serve as {{mooks}} for the book's BigBad. They live in clans identified by the shape of the weapon on their tails, and Ssil's proves her to be the [[RagsToRoyalty only known heir to the banished queen]] who [[HeelFaceTurn turned against]] the BigBad long ago.]]
* The Ternaui in ''Literature/TheExcaliburAlternative''. Initially appearing as silent bodyguards to the BigBad, it turns out that [[spoiler: they are telepathic and detest their slavery. Eventually they side with the humans.]]
* The Yilani of Creator/HarryHarrison's ''Literature/WestOfEden'' series are a race of humanoid reptilians that evolved on an Earth where the dinosaurs never died out. The first book spends much of its first portion with them and we get a very detailed look at their world. They are semi-aquatic (they are related to seagoing lizards), have a matriarchal society thanks largely to their borderline BizarreSexualDimorphism, and have mastered biotechnology on a staggering scale; their cities are literally alive. Oh, and once the humans enter the picture in a significant way, they immediately become the {{Card Carrying Villain}}s of the book because {{humans|AreSpecial}} are [[MostWritersAreHuman awesome]] and reptiles... [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent well duh]]. It's awkward.
* Creator/PoulAnderson's Merseians in ''Literature/TechnicHistory'', although usually at odds with humanity, are a more nuanced portrayal (and have a culture [[FantasyCounterpartCulture based off of the Sassanid Empire]]).
* David Brin's Uplift Series has a few Reptillians, but two stand out:
** The Soro are imperialistic, cruel and warlike. And to be expected, enemies of Earth Clan.
** The Thennannin are also reptiles. They are incredibly conservative, self-righteous and dogmatic. However they are not actually evil. In the second novel, ''Startide Rising'', they are fighting Humans along with everyone else to get the big secret they think the Streaker is carrying. By the third novel they have "adopted" [[spoiler:Gorillas]] as a client species and are dutifully helping protect Earth.
* H. Beam Piper messed with this trope in ''Uller Uprising''. When the reptilian Ullerians fight against the humans on Uller, some forces side with the humans. The story was a retelling of the Sepoy Mutiny In Space, with the humans as the British, so FridgeLogic gets a workout. The people of Uller, good and bad, are multi-dimensional and complex, with several different cultures.
* In the SpeculativeDocumentary book ''All Tomorrows'' by Nemo Ramjet one of the successors of mankind is a race known as the Saurosapients, which evolved from large lizards brought to a tropical planet by humans. Ironically they were once the livestock of a minimally-intelligent species of genetically modified human, who degenerated to become ''their'' livestock after the reptiles out-evolved them. Saurosapients are neither evil nor very human-like in general appearance (more like featherless raptors), but their society grows paranoid that an alien race will wipe them out like the humans before them. [[spoiler: It's presumed that robot humans did wipe them out eventually, along with many other races that ''were'' human-descended.]]
* In Creator/AndreNorton's ''Literature/StormOverWarlock'', the native species is reptilian, vaguely draconic, whence their name Wyverns. [[BeautyEqualsGoodness They manage to look good.]] And doubtlessly benefit from the contrast with the InsectoidAliens PlanetLooters, the Throg.