12 Reptiles Back From The Brink

12 Reptiles Back From The Brink — page 1 — GIANT LIZARD OF LA GOMERA REDISCOVERED island of La Gomera off the coast of Morocco For more than 500 years the giant lizards of La Gomera were part of history Scientists only knew about them from studying fossils The lizards made history again in 1999 Six of them were discovered on the The large lizards move slowly Scientists believe cats and rats killed many of them People might IUCN RED LIST The International Union for the Conservation of Nature IUCN keeps a list of all threatened species in the world called the Red List Each species is labeled according to how at risk it is least concern Not considered at risk Near Threatened At risk of being vulnerable or endangered in the future Vulnerable At risk of extinction Endangered At high risk of extinction Critically Endangered At extremely high risk of extinction Extinct in the Wild Only lives in captivity Extinct No members of a species are left O

12 Reptiles Back From The Brink — page 2 — The giant lizards of La Gomera grow to be up to four feet 1 2 m long have hunted them too The lizards probably had a large habitat long ago But the six remaining lizards were found on just two rocky cliffs 500 Scientists caught the lizards Then they started a breeding program Number of years scientists thought these lizards were extinct More and more lizards were born each year In 2011 more than 260 lizards lived in captivity Scientists also removed the predators from the habitat They made plans to release Status Critically endangered Population More than 90 in the wild Home La Gomera Island Life Span Unknown some lizards back onto the

12 Reptiles Back From The Brink — page 3 — CHINESE ALLIGATORS THRIVING IN NEW HOME Chinese alligators are thought to The alligators lived in the wetlands have inspired the dragons in Chinese around the Yangtze River in China legends But these alligators The fertile land there was also aren't fierce Chinese alligators perfect for growing rice As the hunt for clams snails and fish number of rice farmers increased Sometimes they catch small birds the habitat for the alligators grew or mammals They aren't dangerous smaller By the early 1900s Chinese to people But people's actions have alligators could only be found at threatened them the lower end of the river By the Chinese alligators usually hunt at night and rest during the day

12 Reptiles Back From The Brink — page 4 — The Chinese alligator is much smaller than its cousin the American end of the century the alligators had lost more than 90 percent of alligator their habitat To save the alligators scientists started a breeding program The than 10 000 The alligators are also Chinese Alligator Breeding Research raised in zoos and wildlife refuges Center started with approximately The first three alligators were 200 alligators In 2009 it had more released into the wild in 2003 In 2007 six more were released TIME TO HIBERNATE Length in feet 1 5 m of a typical Chinese alligator During the winter Chinese alligators in the wild hibernate deep in the mud But the ponds at the breeding center are made of concrete Workers Status Critically endangered Population 150 in the wild Home Yangtze River China Life Span Approximately 50 years must move all the alligators into warm indoor rooms when it's

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