A fifth of reptile species is threatened with extinction, with those living in forest habitats (27%) in greater danger than those inhabiting arid areas (14%).
Out of 10,196 reptile species examined, around 2,000 species are critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction as defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Australia’s saltwater crocodile, the world’s largest reptile, is listed in the category ‘least concern’, but its cousin, India’s gharial, is ‘critically endangered’. Indonesia’s Komodo dragon, the world’s largest lizard, is ‘endangered’; the King Cobra, the world’s longest venomous snake; the leatherback, the largest sea turtle, and the Galapagos marine iguana, are all ‘vulnerable’; and the various Galapagos tortoise species range from vulnerable to extinct.
Many reptiles are being pushed towards extinction by deforestation for agriculture, logging and development, urban encroachment and hunting by people, while climate change is a looming threat.
Picture Credit : Google
