International scientists say many reptile species - including some crocodiles and turtles - are under threat and require urgent conservation efforts.
From the colourful to the camouflaged, reptiles come in all forms - but now they're in trouble, according to new research.
Research author Bruce Young told Newshub many reptiles are at threat of extinction.
"The alarming news was that we found one in five are threatened with extinction - that's almost double the percentage for birds."
Over 900 scientists across the world assessed reptiles over 15 years; 10,000 species were studied and 21 percent of them are threatened with extinction.
Certain species and faring worse than others, with 57.9 percent of crocodiles and 50 percent of turtles under threat.
"These are species that are heavily hunted, for food primarily but also medicinal reasons, and crocodiles are of course dangerous to humans," Young said.
New Zealand has 135 different reptile species, and almost 86 percent of them are classified as either being threatened or at-risk.
The reasons for their decline are the same in Aotearoa as worldwide, environmental biologist Leslie Rissler said.
"Areas where you find geographically many threatened species of mammals, you also find many threatened species of reptiles and amphibians and birds."
Among the reasons are climate change, deforestation and urban development - in other words, human activity.
To slow the decline, co-author Neil Cox said the scientists behind the study are calling on governments to focus heavily on the conservation of land.
"If we really put effort into preserving the tropical forests and similar habitats, we get a real bang for our buck."
They're calling for action now before it's too late.
