Phenomenon, account, research or hypothesis: level of evidence varies.
Summary
The reptilian thesis claims that shape-shifting reptilian humanoids secretly rule the Earth, taking human form to sit in positions of power. Its best-known version was set out by the English writer David Icke in The Biggest Secret (1999), which places the beings in the Draco region and later describes them as an inter-dimensional race feeding on human fear. Earlier threads exist: Robert E. Howard's serpent men of 1929, a 1934 Los Angeles newspaper tale of "Lizard People", abduction stories of the late 1960s, and the Nāgas of Asian religions. The political scientist Michael Barkun traces the modern idea to pulp fiction rather than to any ancient record. Nothing established supports the existence of such beings: no physical, genetic or documentary evidence has been produced, and video clips offered as proof have been traced to editing or compression artefacts. What is established is the story's history and reach, and its costs. A 2013 poll found 4% of respondents agreeing, though critics note how small the sample was. The Anti-Defamation League and other critics see recycled antisemitic tropes in Icke's work, which he denies, and a 2020 bomber was reported to hold the belief. This dossier documents accounts and authors; it names no person or group as reptilian.
