Top 10 Snakes Endangered by Habitat Loss: A Silent Crisis Uncoiling

The rustle of scales in grass, the hypnotic flick of a forked tongue, the silent, coiled power--snakes are among the most misunderstood and essential of our planet's creatures. They regulate rodent populations, exist as both predator and prey within sensitive food webs and are living canaries in the ecosystem's coal mine. But an undercover crisis is going on, driving many species of serpent to extinction. The single greatest threat to them is not persecution and climate change, although these are likely to play a part, but the systematic loss of their habitats: habitat loss.

This article explores the life of ten exceptional snakes who are teetering on the brink of extinction due, largely, to deforestation, urbanization and agricultural development. Learning more about their plight is the first step to fighting for their preservation.

The Invisible footprint of a vanishing world

For a snake, habitat is all. It's not merely a territory, but a detailed jigsaw puzzle of hiding spots, basking spots, den sites, and hunting grounds. A downed tree, a rocky edifice, a certain type of leaf detritus - these microhabitats cannot be replaced. When forests are cleared to plant palm oil trees, wetlands are drained to establish development sites, or grasslands are converted to farmlands, these complex ecosystems are lost at a snap of their fingers. Snakes, being sometimes extremely specific in their requirements, and limited in mobility can't simply move away. They are killed or forced into smaller and more remote areas where breeding with each other, lack of resources and growing conflict with man assert to them.

1. The Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake (Crotalus catalinensis)

Endangered Species Spotlight The Snake: Found only on Santa Catalina Island in the Gulf of California, this rattlesnake's rattle? Totally useless. It's a gorgeous, lean viper that resides in the unique island ecology.

The Threat: It's all one island, only 40 square miles. It has been decimated from habitat degradation caused by tourist development, feral cat and dog predation, and illegal harvest for the pet trade. With no place to migrate, losing even one acre is a gut punch. It is currently classed as Critically Endangered.

2. The Aruba Island Rattlesnake (Crotalus unicolor)

The Snake: There is an animal that is also exclusive to the island and is critically endangered: the rattlesnake only exists on Aruba. It is light pinkish-brown and pale gray, which is a brilliant camouflage against the rocky dry landscape of Aruba.

The Threat: Aruba's tourism-based economy is responsible for ongoing habitat loss for resorts, infrastructure and urban growth. Now the snake's range is restricted to a mere 25 square kilometers in Arikok National Park. Outside of the park, its habitat has been almost destroyed.

3. The Orlov’s Viper (Vipera orlovi)

The Snake: An amazing zigzag-patterned viper that's only found in a really tiny area of the Caucasus Mountains in Western Russia. It lives in slopes along the coast and in mountain meadows.

The Threat: Its overall range is less than 100 square km. The latter is under tremendous pressure from resort development, road building, and uncontrolled tourism. Due to its restricted range, this species is remarkably sensitive to habitat disturbance of any kind and is classified as Critically Endangered.

4. The Mangrove Pit Viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus)

The Snake: A beautiful and poisonous snake, which inhabits the mangrove of southeast Asia and some of India. It is the smooth dark body that is well adapted to live among the gnarled roots and muddy streams.

Threat: Mangroves have been ranked as some of the most threatened ecosystems in the entire world. They are being incinerated in controlled zones to subsidize shrimp farming (aquafarms), coastal building, timber and charcoal chips. The hunting and breeding grounds of the Mangrove Pit Viper are directly lost by destroying these very special forests.

5. The Round Island Keel-scaled Boa (Casarea dussumieri)

The Snake: a conservation success, but it's still on life support. This unique boa is found only in Mauritius and was once virtually doomed on Round Island. It's one of the surprising few snakes that can actually swing its upper jaw, like a python does.

The Threat: The decline in the numbers was almost entirely due to destruction of habitat. Goats and rabbits arrived, ate the plants and the island suffered massive soil erosion that consumed the boa's habitat. Although the snake is now recovering now that goats and rabbits are gone, its population has only spread to a small 2.5 sq km area, and so is still extremely vulnerable and still classified as Endangered.

6. The San Francisco Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia)

The Snake: Also referred to as one of the most beautiful snakes in North America, this subspecies of garter snake is decorated with rich blue-green, red and black stripes. It is found only on the San Francisco peninsula in California.

The Threat: The snake's habitat is also some of the most valuable real estate on Earth. Over 90% of its wetland habitat has been lost to urban sprawl, agriculture and industry. The remaining populations are restricted to small, vulnerable populations, threatened by further development and pollution. Since 1967 it has been listed as Endangered.

7. The Antiguan Racer (Alsophis antiguae)

The Snake: This is a harmless and thin snake, the rarest in the world. It was assumed to have died out but it was rediscovered on a small offshore island of Antigua.

The Threat: original extinction of the species is caused by habitat loss on mainland Antigua and also by the presence of introduced predators like mongooses and rats. It has now been confined to a few islets where there are no predators. Although it has been salvaged out of the very last ditch due to intensive conservation effort, it remains Critically Endangered. Due to its small island habitat, any change in its environment, e.g. an increase in sea-level following climate change, or a new invasive species, would be catastrophic.

8. The Sri Lankan Hump-nosed Viper (Hypnale nepa)

The Snake: A small, highly venomous, viper little-known outside of the wet zone forests of southwestern Sri Lanka. It relies on thick humid leaf litter and rain forests on the lowlands.

The Threat: Logging, conversion of wet zone forests to tea plantations and human settlement have destroyed the wet zone forests of Sri Lanka. The habitat requirements of the viper such that it is specialized do not allow it to survive in altered environments. This is why fragmented populations of this viper are increasingly faced with extinction as the forests become smaller and more fragmented.

9. The Baja California Rat Snake (Bogertophis rosaliae)

Springscale Sidewinner:An iridescence snake with a coppery and olive colored scaled skin which is observed in the arid shrubland and the rocky canyons of the peninsula in Baja California Mexico.

The Threat: Agriculture is a threat to the fragile desert ecosystem of Baja, particularly to vineyards and ranching. The construction and development of roads and urbanization also divide its habitat. It is a habitat specialist snake that, having lost its continental scrubland habitat, has nowhere to go.

10. The King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah)

The Snake: This is the longest poisonous serpent in the world, and it is the god of the world, envied and honored all over Asia. This is one of the best carnivores that feed on other snakes, as a rule, and help to ensure an ecological balance.

The Threat: Despite the persecution, the biggest threat of the King Cobra in the long term is uncontrolled deforestation of the old-growth forests and thickets of dense bamboo it will rely on in sections of India and Southeast Asia. Logging, agricultural clearance and development into habitats that these magnificent snakes predominate causes them to be driven out of the forest and adopted human lifestyles, which lead to conflict and death. It has now been listed at Vulnerable and on the wane.

A Way of the Future: Living with the Serpent Kingdom

The tale of these ten snakes is one like a global problem. The solution is complicated but possible:

• Encourage Sustainable practices: Choose products that have been certified by certain groups like the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and encourage sustainable agriculture that minimizes habitat destruction.
• Protected Areas: Be part of both national and international organizations in developing and maintaining wildlife corridors and wildlife nature reserves.
• Inform and Alter Attitudes: Snake phobia is such a big despecifier of protection. When individuals comprehend their position in the ecology they will not be in conflict but live in coexistence.
• Ecotourism: Support eco-tourism where the welfare of the wildlife and the habitat is given priority over risky mass tourism.

We do not need to fight snakes, they are key strands in the biodiversity of our planet. Their silent disappearance in forests, grasslands and wetlands is an issue on which we cannot afford to behave deafly. When we save their habitats we are in effect protecting the complex and interwoven web of life that holds us collectively. The existence of these lovely reptiles must, inescapably, be associated with our own.