Endangered Reptiles

Not much is known about the plight of reptiles as a whole, as only 8 percent of all known reptile species have been evaluated for inclusion on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Of these, over half — 341 reptiles — are now considered threatened or endangered. Habitat loss appears to be the major issue facing reptiles, judging by those surveyed. Sea turtles in particular are vulnerable to destruction of nesting grounds, as well as having their eggs harvested. Non-native species, such as cats and dogs, also play a significant roll in the decline of many reptile species. AMERICAN CROCODILE (Crocodylus acutus)

Crocodiles are throwbacks to the time of the dinosaurs, having changed very little for hundreds of millions of years. They have long, muscular bodies with powerful jaws and rows of strong teeth. They also have a number of special adaptations as aquatic predators, including eyes and nostrils on the top of their head that allow them to see and breathe while submerged. Once they capture their prey, they drag it underwater for a wrestling match to the death. American crocodiles were once hunted mercilessly for their skins, but now the main threat comes from loss of suitable wetland habitat. IUCN Status: Endangered USFWS Status: Endangered Major Threats: Loss of suitable wetland habitat Habitat: Western Mexico to Ecuador and southern Florida to Guatemala Location: Eastern Oklahoma and Block Island, Rhode Island Diet: Mainly fish and other small marine life

BOG TURTLE (Clemmys muhlenbergii)

The bog turtle is a small reptile species that is native to the eastern United States. It has a dark body with bright yellow-orange spots on either side of its head and neck. The carapace (shell) is domed and elongated, and has distinct rings on the shell plates. It has a fragmented range along the eastern seaboard in bogs and other moist habitats with dense vegetation. The main threat to this species comes from the draining of wetland ecosystems. IUCN Status: Endangered Major Threats:Draining of wetland ecosystems Habitat: Bogs, marshes, swamps, fens and wet meadows Location: Fragmented range in eastern United States

GREEN SEA TURTLE (Chelonia mydas) Weighing between 300 and 350 pounds, the green sea turtle is the largest of the world's sea turtles. They occur globally in tropical and subtropical waters, and females nest on the beaches of at least 80 countries. The green sea turtle is threatened worldwide by overexploitation of eggs and adults. They are also often taken as bycatch in fishing operations and threatened in some parts of their range by a disease that causes tumors. IUCN Status: Endangered USFWS Status: Endangered Major Threats: Overexploitation of eggs and adults; incidental capture in fishing gear Habitat: Warm, open tropical and subtropical ocean Location: Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans Diet: Algae and sea grass KOMODO DRAGON (Varanus komodoensis) The Komodo dragon is the world's heaviest lizard, weighing 150 pounds or more. It has gray scaly skin, a pointed snout, powerful limbs and a muscular tail. It lives in the scrub and woodland of a few Indonesian islands. They use their keen sense of smell to locate decaying animal remains from several miles away. They also hunt other lizards as well as large mammals and are sometimes cannibalistic. This species is threatened by hunting, loss of prey species and habitat loss. IUCN Status: Vulnerable USFWS Status: Endangered Major Threats: Habitat loss, loss of prey species and poaching Habitat: Open grassland, tropical savanna, tropical forest and scrub Location: Lesser Sundu archipelago of Indonesia Diet: Mainly carrion; also attacks large live prey

LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE (Dermochelys coriacea)

Weighing up to about 1,700 pounds, the leatherback sea turtle is by far the largest sea turtle. It is also the world's deepest diving, most migratory and wide-ranging of all sea turtles. The leatherback differs from other sea turtles in that it has a leathery shell and flippers without claws. It is known to travel great distances, with some tagged individuals spanning entire oceans. The leatherback sea turtle is threatened throughout its range by nest-site disturbance, fishing operations, pollution and egg collection. IUCN Status: Critically Endangered USFWS Status: Endangered Major Threats: Nest-site disturbance, fishing operations, pollution and egg collection Habitat: Warm, open ocean Location: Worldwide tropical oceans Diet: Mainly jellyfish, small crustaceans and fish SIAMESE CROCODILE (Crocodylus siamensis) The Siamese crocodile is a Southeast Asian reptile that lives in slow-moving freshwater habitats such as rivers, swamps and streams. It has a broad snout, powerful tail and grows to a length of about 12 feet. Populations of Siamese crocodile are rapidly decreasing due to hunting and loss of habitat. IUCN Status: Critically Endangered USFWS Status: Endangered Major Threats: Conversion of habitat to agricultural land and poaching Habitat: Swamps and the sheltered parts of rivers, streams and lakes Location: Borneo, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam Diet: Mainly fish; also amphibians, reptiles and possibly small mammals

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