Hunting, farming, urbanization, and deforestation are all factors contributing to the plight of reptiles throughout the world. A worldwide assessment reveals how vulnerable reptiles are and how they might be better preserved.
A lot of people think of birds and animals when they think about species extinction, and they commonly think of wild bees and other insects as well. At least in Central Europe, reptiles, on the other hand, are far less commonly featured on the agendas of nature conservation groups and citizen-led citizen-led citizen-led projects.
Many species of crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes are classified as endangered or critically endangered, depending on where you live. According to a paper published in the journal "Nature" by Neil Cox of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Washington and Bruce Young of the non-profit nature conservation and information technology group "NatureServe" in Arlington, USA, together with a 50-strong team: There are 1829 reptile species among the 10196 species analyzed, representing a 21.1 percent decline in the number of species.
The reptiles, which include one of the four groups of terrestrial vertebrates, are in a similar predicament to the mammals, with 25.4 percent of their species classified as endangered. For example, the amphibians get 40.7 percent of the vote, while the birds receive 13.6 percent, a huge decrease from their previous position. Conservation measures and programs aimed at protecting species and ecosystems have so far largely targeted animals and birds as their primary targets. There has also been some study done on amphibians, although it has been less extensive on reptiles. According to the findings of the research, efforts to safeguard other creatures are often beneficial to them as well.
It is true that the diversity of reptiles often exceeds that of mammals and birds, particularly in dry areas, and that many protective measures are concentrated in wetter areas such as forests and swamps. However, it is also true that the diversity of reptiles often exceeds that of mammals and birds. However, many reptile species dwell in these places as well, and they are endangered by the same changes that jeopardize mammals, birds, and amphibians, among other things.
A direct effect of those who, for example, cut forests and drain marshes in order to build up their crops and plantations there or to allow cattle to graze is typically the most important aspect. Many woodland and swamp species go extinct as a result of their inability to adapt to the new environment.
Because humans live in deserts and dry regions less often than in other parts of the world, there is less impact on biodiversity in these areas. According to the findings of the study conducted by Cox and Young and their team, this is also true for reptiles, with 30 percent of the species living in the forest being listed as endangered, compared to only 14 percent of the species living in sparsely populated dry areas, according to the Red List.
In addition to deforestation and agriculture, terrestrial vertebrates suffer mostly as a result of the expansion of human settlements and the introduction of alien species that feed on local animals or their progeny, or that deplete their environment of suitable foraging grounds. The current protection measures for mammals, birds, and amphibians are already geared toward addressing these risks, which are often beneficial to reptiles as well.
However, not all groups of reptiles are equally threatened: crocodiles, for example, have been hit particularly hard, accounting for 57.9 percent of all endangered species, while turtles account for 50 percent of all endangered species. Due to the large size of the representatives of these two groups, particularly turtles in the Caribbean and African crocodiles in Africa, are targeted for their meat. In the words of Uwe Fritz, a zoologist at the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden who was not involved in the Nature research, "the greater the species, the more profitable the hunt and the faster they frequently vanish," the study's authors note.
Because of this, giants such as the Yangtze giant soft-shelled turtle, which dwells in the rivers of China and Vietnam and may grow to be more than a meter in length and weigh more than 200 kilograms, are in particular danger. As a matter of fact, the Yangtze gigantic softshell turtle was thought to be extinct until one male was discovered in a Chinese zoo in January of 2019. Uwe Fritz writes that another specimen of this species was found in Dong Mo Lake (Vietnam) in October 2020, and that it was again a female, which is how he learned of the discovery. In such case, maybe the species still has a slim chance of surviving."
At the very least, assuming climate change does not obstruct efforts to safeguard endangered species. After all, a large number of reptiles deposit eggs from which their children hatch later on in life. Among all crocodile species, as well as many turtle species, the sex of the offspring is determined by the temperature at which the eggs develop. Only male crocodiles develop from crocodile eggs when the temperature is high. Only females will develop if the temperature is only four degrees cooler.