Reptiles contribute to the ecosystem by providing pest control, as many lizards control insect pests and snakes prey on rodents. They also have economic value for food, medicinal products, leather goods, and the pet trade. In particular, snake venom studies contributed greatly to the care of heart-attack patients in the 1960s and 1970s and are widely studied in the development of pain-management drugs. Similarly, turtles, crocodiles, snakes, and lizards are regularly harvested as food for local consumption in many tropical areas.
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