More than 21% of reptiles at risk of extinction in coming decades, scientists say

More than a fifth of the world's reptiles are at risk of extinction in the coming decades due to human activity, scientist have now estimated.

More than a fifth of the world's reptiles are at risk of extinction in the coming decades due to human activity, according to a new study.

Researchers applied criteria from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species to more than 10,000 species around the world and found that over 21% are at risk -- with nearly 58% of species of crocodiles and and 50% of species of turtles requiring urgent conservation efforts to prevent them from being wiped out from the planet, according to a study published Thursday in Nature.

Human activity, such as agriculture, logging, urban development, and invasive species are the main drivers of the threat to reptiles, according to the researchers. While climate change is assumed to be a factor, the exact risk it poses has not yet been determined due to the lack of long-term studies.

"Climate change is a looming threat to reptiles, for example, by reducing thermally viable windows for foraging, skewing offspring sex ratios in species that have temperature-dependent sex determination and contracting ranges," the study states.