The snake, found on just one island, sports highly desirable patterned skin that has made it a collector's item for hunters.

New reptile surveys are revealing the fragile nature of many reptile populations.

For instance, a major survey of North American reptiles has bumped up the region's Red List reptile species to a total of 738.

The main culprit behind their decline is habitat loss due to expanding cities, Caroline Pollock, a Red List program officer, told National Geographic News.

Unlike birds and mammals, we haven't assessed all the reptiles on the planet, Pollock added.

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