The exotic pet craze on Chinese social media: Trends, community dynamics, and conservation implications

The global rise in the exotic pet trade threatens biodiversity, animal welfare, and public health. Social media platforms have created a dynamic space for sharing exotic pet content, potentially fueling demand and spreading misconceptions about pet care and conservation. Despite these concerns, little is known about the main taxa featured on social media or the trends shaping the online exotic pet community. To address this gap, we analyzed a large dataset from Bilibili, a leading Chinese video-sharing platform. We used culturomics methods to identify prominent exotic pet taxa, thematic and sentiment patterns and the influence of content creators. Our results reveal significant interest in taxa such as Testudines, Arachnida, Lacertilia, Serpentes, and Insecta. Notably, many turtle species featured were of high conservation concern, while most arachnid species were not currently reported in major international conservation databases (e.g., IUCN Red List and CITES Appendices). We also found that exotic pet videos prioritize practical care knowledge over entertainment, promoting virtual communities where users exchange experiences and care knowledge. Comment sentiment fluctuated based on welfare concerns, aesthetic appearance, cultural beliefs and care practices, with community self-regulation potentially helping counter misinformation and harmful practices. Furthermore, a few dominant creators receive most of the attention within the niche online community, highlighting their role in shaping discourses and influencing care norms conservation messages. Leveraging online exotic pet content offers insights for management and conservation. Through collaboration among creators, viewers, and policymakers, social media could be used to encourage responsible practices and support species conservation.