10/21/2026
Today is an important day, as it's world reptile day!
A 2022 study shows of 10,196 reptiles observed, 21% or 1,829 different species, are threatened with extinction. Reptiles in this study included snakes, crocodilians, lizards, and turtles, all of which have been on earth for over 200 million years. To have been able to evolve and adapt, and survive and thrive for that long, is astoundingly amazing. If those reptiles were to all go extinct, Earth would lose a combined 15.6 billion years of evolutionary history.
Losing these reptiles would cause a cascading effect. Whether they are prey, predator, or both, they all contribute massively to the ecosystems they inhabit. All reptiles help regulate the populations of small mammals and insects, and what I mean by that, is that by being prey and predator, they make sure that no one species overpopulates an ecosystem or becomes underpopulated.
Biodiversity, the variety of life found on earth, is enriched by the presence of reptiles. Characteristics and behaviors of certain reptiles allow them to influence the structure and function of the ecosystems they inhabit.
Snakes, for example, help regulate rodent populations, and since rodents carry fleas, ticks, and other unwanted bugs, them being eaten help control the insect populations as well as the rodent population🐍.
Let’s look at turtles. Aside from also eating those unwanted bugs, and keeping fish populations in check, they also help maintain the health of aquatic and terrestrial habitats. The waste that they excrete from eating different plants and vegetation is rich in nutrients and those nutrients are good for soil and water health 🐢.
Lastly, alligators. They’re the top of the food chain and because they are opportunistic hunters and will eat just about anything, they also keep the numbers of the prey that they eat in check 🐊🦎.
Pretty neat having these reptiles around, right?
