Reptiles

Contrary to their image as primitive relics of an ancient era, reptiles are still extremely diverse and successful today. Being cold-blooded animals, these scaly-skinned vertebrates require far less food than mammals and birds, and are thus often the dominant animal group in relatively inhospitable habitats such as deserts. Most reptiles reproduce by laying leathery eggs, but a significant number of lizards and snakes give birth to live young. Of the c. 1,670 reptile species that have been evaluated on the IUCN Red List, almost 1 in 3 are threatened with extinction.

Explore ARKive for videos and images of endangered reptiles, and learn about reptile conservation, biology and more in our species fact-files.