bio.wikisort.org - Animal

There is only one known land reptile species native to Ireland, the viviparous or common lizard. It appears to have a widespread distribution across the entire island with coastal, bogland and mountainous areas showing highest numbers of sightings.

Five marine turtle species appear regularly off the west coast but do not come ashore. All are endangered, some critically.[1] The pond turtle is introduced.

EX	Extinct	No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.
EW	Extinct in the wild	Known only to survive in captivity or as a naturalized populations well outside its previous range.
CR	Critically endangered	The species is in imminent risk of extinction in the wild.
EN	Endangered	The species is facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
VU	Vulnerable	The species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
NT	Near threatened	The species does not meet any of the criteria that would categorise it as risking extinction but it is likely to do so in the future.
LC	Least concern	There are no current identifiable risks to the species.
DD	Data deficient	There is inadequate information to make an assessment of the risks to this species.

Subclass: Diapsida

Infraclass: Lepidosauromorpha

Superorder: Lepidosauria

Order: Squamata (lizards, snakes)

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• Suborder: Lacertilia (lizards)
  • Family: Lacertidae
    • Subfamily: Lacertinae
      • Genus: Zootoca
        • Viviparous lizard, Zootoca vivipara LC
  • Family: Anguidae
    • Subfamily: Anguinae
      • Genus: Anguis
        • Slowworm, Anguis fragilis NE (believed to be a more recent introduction, with confirmed sightings only in The Burren[2])

Order: Testudines (turtles)

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• Suborder: Cryptodira
  • Superfamily: Chelonioidea (sea turtles)
    • Family: Dermochelyidae
      • Genus: Dermochelys
        • Leatherback sea turtle, Dermochelys coriacea LC
    • Family: Cheloniidae
      • Genus: Chelonia
        • Green sea turtle, Chelonia mydas EN
      • Genus: Eretmochelys
        • Hawksbill sea turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata CR
      • Genus: Lepidochelys
        • Kemp's ridley sea turtle, Lepidochelys kempii CR Vagrant
      • Genus: Caretta
        • Loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta VU
  • Superfamily: Testudinoidea (pond turtles)
    • Family: Emydidae
      • Genus: Trachemys
        • Pond slider, Trachemys scripta LC Introduced [3]

References

• King, G.L. and Berrow, S.D. (2009) Marine turtles in Irish waters. Special Supplement to the Irish Naturalists' Journal (30 pages)

External links

• nationalgeographic.com: Snakeless in Ireland: Blame Ice Age, Not St. Patrick
• Turtles stranded in Ireland
• "Ireland Red List No.5 Amphibians, Reptiles & Freshwater Fish"

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