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Extinct skinks: Lizards especially vulnerable to climate change
photo by E>mar (source: Flickr Creative Commons)
From an article in the Telegraph:
The drop in the lizard population could cause an explosion in the numbers of insect they normally feed on as well as devastating creatures higher up the food chain which rely on them for food.
The international study is clear that climate change is at fault. The lizards surveyed were not at threat from habitat loss and most sites in the study were protected areas.
Lizards are particularly dependent on certain temperatures for survival and have difficulties adapting to rapid changes in temperature.
From an article in the Independent:
Lizards, which include geckos, iguanas and chameleons, are often referred to as cold-blooded creatures but in fact their body temperature rises and falls with their exterior environment. They have to bask in the sun to raise their body temperature, and seek shade when it gets too warm.
The abstract and full text of the study are available from Science magazine.
by Graham Land
Tags: Climate change, extinct, lizard, lizards, species, study, temperature
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