It's O.K. to use the skins of alligators, snakes, and other herps to make shoes, handbags, belts, and other products. This is a matter of personal opinion, but it's worth pointing out that, in some cases, harvesting lizards, snakes, and other herps for leather products can cause their populations to plummet. For example, American alligators once bordered on extinction because of overharvesting, but when hunting was halted the animals made a comeback. They are being harvested once again, but the collection is now carefully regulated. Touching a toad can give you warts.
Most snakes are poisonous.
Fewer than 10 percent of snakes have venom that can hurt humans. Reptiles are slimy. Reptiles have smooth, dry skin.