King cobra green screen snake1/19/2024 For example, hunting, rather than habitat modification, is the main threat to turtles and crocodiles, half of which are at risk of extinction. The authors note that urgent, targeted conservation measures are still necessary to protect some of the most threatened reptile species, especially island endemic lizards threatened by introduced predators and those that are more directly impacted by humans. A multifaceted action plan is necessary to protect these species, with all the evolutionary history they represent.” “Because reptiles are so diverse, they face a wide range of threats across a variety of habitats. “The results of the Global Reptile Assessment signal the need to ramp up global efforts to conserve them,” said Neil Cox, co-leader of the study and Manager of the IUCN-Conservation International Biodiversity Assessment Unit. If each of the 1,829 threatened reptiles became extinct, we would lose a combined 15.6 billion years of evolutionary history-including countless adaptations for living in diverse environments. The study also highlighted what we stand to lose if we fail to protect reptiles. Habitat protection is essential to buffer reptiles, as well as other vertebrates, from threats such as agricultural activities and urban development.” “This is good news because the extensive efforts to protect better known animals have also likely contributed to protecting many reptiles. Bruce Young, co-leader of the study and Chief Zoologist and Senior Conservation Scientist at NatureServe. “I was surprised by the degree to which mammals, birds and amphibians, collectively, can serve as surrogates to reptiles,” said Dr. The study found that 30% of forest-dwelling reptiles are at risk of extinction, compared with 14% of reptiles in arid habitats. Although reptiles are well known to inhabit arid habitats such as deserts and scrubland, most reptile species occur in forested habitats, where they –and other vertebrate groups – suffer from threats such as logging and conversion of forest to agriculture. The research revealed that efforts to conserve threatened mammals, birds, and amphibians are more likely than expected to co-benefit many threatened reptiles. Reptiles in the study include turtles, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, and tuatara, the only living member of a lineage that evolved in the Triassic period approximately 200-250 million years ago. For the Nature study, a diverse research team, representing 24 countries across six continents, analysed the conservation needs of 10,196 reptile species in comparison with mammals, birds, and amphibians.
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