Threatened species of Reptiles

Due primarily to the impact of man on the natural environment, whether directly or indirectly, many of the 5,000 species of reptiles are in danger of extinction.

All members of the group called the Reptilia, except for the anapsids (turtles and their ilk), and a few extinct groups, are diapsids. The word diapsid refers to the presence of two openings on each side of the skull. In evolutionary biology, even the birds are considered diapsids (and hence reptiles), because they are descended from diapsid dinosaurs and ancestrally have the paired skull openings along with other physical characteristics that unite them with diapsids.

Globally, 31 reptiles were listed as extinct or extinct in the wild in 2019, according to the IUCN Red List, the global authority on the status of species.