"Lizards: Uninvited Guests or Unsung Housekeepers?" An Observation by Dr Sunil S Rana In countless households across the globe, in India, a shriek echoes through the corridors every time a lizard is spotted on the wall. Be it a teenage girl doing her homework, or even a grown woman chopping vegetables- one glance at a gecko, and panic ensues. The fear is almost instinctive, passed down like family recipes from one generation of women to the next. But is this fear justified? Are lizards really the enemies we’ve made them out to be? The answer is a resounding no- and science agrees. Why Do We Fear Lizards? The fear of lizards, known as Herpetophobia, is more psychological and cultural than biological. It’s rarely based on any real threat posed by the creature. In fact: Lizards do not bite or attack humans. They don’t spread diseases like rodents or flies. They are mostly nocturnal, shy, and avoid human contact. So where does the fear come from? It stems largely from myth...