What happens when a species has not been seen by anyone for decades? Environmentalists think of these as “lost species”. We do not know if they’ve gone extinct, or if it’s simply that nobody has looked for them.
There are more than 4,300 animal and plant species across 200 countries that are officially “lost”. Until now, quests to rediscover them have mainly focused on mammals and birds.
But there are over 12,000 species of reptiles in the world. These tend to be more neglected in conservation and research. The result is that they’ve declined and even become extinct, for reasons such as the destruction of their natural habitats. Today, a whopping 1,300-plus reptile species are considered lost – 30% of the world’s total of lost species.
