Christmas Island Whiptail Lizard: Recent Island Loss
Scientists declared this lizard extinct in 2017 after years without sightings. The Christmas Island Whiptail once scurried across forest floors of this remote Australian territory. Introduced yellow crazy ants and wolf snakes devastated native reptiles. Habitat clearing for phosphate mining fragmented their populations. Their extinction reminds us that island species remain particularly vulnerable to introduced predators due to their evolutionary isolation.