Researcher Barry Sinervo, an evolutionary biologist at the University of California, Santa Cruz recently concluded a study that shows a decline in lizard populations in certain regions. The study published in Science and led by Sinervo includes data gathered over five continents dating back to 1975. Initially Sinervo had set out to conduct a study to determine how color changes in certain lizards play a part in their evolution. However, when he arrived at the locations where he planned to conduct his studies, he was surprised to find that the lizards simply were not there. He would later learn that other species from around the globe were disappearing as well. This is what led him to conduct more research into why the different lizard species were becoming harder to find.

Studying the populations of various lizards around the globe, Sinervo and his team concluded that the regions where spring temperatures have risen the most since the 1970s are the exact spots where the decline in lizards has occurred. As spring temperatures rise, the lizards being cold blooded and thus having the need to regulate their core temperature will spend more time seeking shelter or shade as apposed to looking for food or reproducing. When female lizards lack the nourishment needed to successfully breed, the resulting decline in populations occur.

The study predicts that a 20% extinction rate for lizards worldwide by 2080 is entirely feasible. So who cares if the world has a few less lizards? It’s not like we all have a pet lizard that we now must protect from slight temperature increases. Well, there are reasons we should care. Birds and other animals rely on lizards as a food source, if the lizard populations decrease, what impact will this have on certain bird populations? Since the lizard’s primary diet consist of various types of insects, what impact will fewer lizards have on insect populations? Changing one digit in a series of calculations provides a different outcome, the good news is, you can always go back, find the error, and correct it. Unfortunately, in nature, extinction is final. There are no “do-overs”.