World's Top 10 Disappearing Reptiles

World's Top 10 Disappearing Reptiles

The lungs of the earth the Amazon rain forest is a beautiful symbol of terrestrial life. A highly diverse ecosystem containing the highest number of species including many irreplaceable, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet. But, something of a crisis is brewing in the background. Massive forest loss is threatening many species of reptiles, as well as many other species. In honor of the World Day of Reptiles, here are 10 awesome reptiles whose very existence is under threat due to rampant loss of their Amazon habitat.

Melanosuchus Niger

The black caiman was so rare after being hunted nearly to extinction for their valuable skin that it made a fantastic rebound. Now its biggest enemy is habitat loss on land. As the largest predator in the Amazon basin, a large and healthy catamaran requires healthy rivers as well. Siltation and pollution of the river due to deforestation have disturbed the fragile balance the apex predator needs to survive. To such an extent that its situation is considered as a window to look into the overall condition of the aquatic ecosystem.

Mesoclemmys Raniceps 

This turtle is with its oddly shaped head and also listed as an endangered species. It is becoming very rare as its niche habitats are destroyed. And even those sandy shorelines are useless for nesting and erosion because the watershed is logged upstream and pollution in rivers is killing off other nesting sites. There are only a few of this already esoteric reptile, but as isolated pockets meanwhile become cut off from each other across the Amazon rainforest, they are even less likely to meet partners and breed.

Corallus Caninus

With the Emerald Tree Boa taking its name from one of the precious gems in the forest's gem collection, this animal is a symbol of the splendor of Amazonian wildlife as a whole. The group has suffered from the pet trade in earlier times, threats nowadays are mainly habitat related. This species of snake uses dense mature canopy as a hunting and shelter area. Once the trees are cut down, these snakes are pretty much left out to dry, unable to get across the newly scarred bare ground landscapes that divide forest patches.

Podocnemis Unifilis

This River Turtle is an asset in ecosystem. However, its nesting beaches are very sensitive to disturbance from man. Reptiles also are sensitive to climate change because temperature determines the sex of hatchlings. Despite the extra protection that sometimes comes from being a nesting area, habitat conservation throughout the country is struggling and losing the war against habitat destruction.

Lachesis Muta

One of the longest viper in the world, the Bushmaster is part mythology and partly terror. It requires a lot of primary forest to be in an intact state. As land development (in both rural and urban areas) encroaches on its habitat the snake comes into increased contact with humans and is killed from fear. Once a top predator is gone, then the small mammals are out of balance.

Bothriopsis Bilineata

This second incredible Amazonian tree viper is yet another example of Amazonian biodiversity. Its future depends directly on the integrity of the forest canopy. Strangely enough it is only creating a few microhabitats, and these are being destroyed by illegal logging and agriculture on the land. For extinct species there is little choice, and the demise of a niche specialist is a signal of the impending ecological disaster.

Eunectes Murinus

While the Green Anaconda is still in relatively plentiful numbers, it is far from resistant to the stresses being placed on the Amazon. Hence it is heavily dependent on wetland ecosystem (swamp, marshland, slow stream) which makes it extremely vulnerable to drainage for agricultural uses and pollution from mining activities. Defending the anaconda then amounts to defending the dark aquatic core of the rainforest itself.

Paleosuchus Trigonatus

Much smaller than its big cousin, the smaller caiman is far more likely to be found in forest streams. It is threatened with extinction by the mercury pollution that lands on the waterways from gold mining (and locks away that mercury, poisoning the food chain). Also, since streams become the surrounding for animals that breed and feed on streams, changing the flow of water also impacts directly its habitat.

Amerotyphlops Reticulatus

While hardly anyone has encountered this fossorial snake before, this example symbolizes many species that we know little about but are affected by loss of their habitat. Instead, it is killed off directly from bulldozers and fire as the leaf debris containing the organism calls out fire. Birds are obviously more photogenic subjects, but having an essential part in all ecosystems, they break down soil to a more friable quality, they control insect populations; no matter what species it is, every animal is important.

Cnemidophorus Lemniscatus

This daytime active lizard is most active in situations where there are light gaps in the forest. The forested habitat scale required by this lizard is easily destroyed by chronic, non predatory disturbance and a subsequent oversupply of exposed area and its attendant predatory and competitive species.

An Environment for Tomorrow's Conservation

This story of the loss of habitat for the Amazon's ten reptiles is a micro fable for the larger tragedy. The reasons are varied on the rise due to global demand for mineral resources, timber commodities, beef products, and soy for feed. However, the solution needs to be a multi faceted one. However, there is great need to help conserve Amazon reptiles. This includes organizations doing ground based work to protect land and fight illegal activities. Buying sustainable products and limiting deforestation driven consumption Telling the world about these magnificent animals to form the alliance of sympathy and political will. The survival of the Amazon's organisms those in both the reptilian family and the rest of the animal world depends upon reptilian survival, because the fate of the rainforest and the snakes, alligators, turtles, and other reptiles that call the Amazon home, is one and the same. And through the battle for their home, we are in turn battling for the stability of our planet's climate and the protection of invaluable biodiversity. Simply put, they are very hard to kill, but there is a limit to their hardiness. The time to act is now.