Top 10 most popular reptiles (and why it matters)

Image credit: Rushenb (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 )], via Wikimedia Commons Scientists from Oxford University and Tel Aviv University have ranked the world's most 'popular' reptiles, revealing the species that capture the public's imagination and providing valuable quantitative data towards the debate surrounding conservation priorities. Using data taken from Wikipedia, the research team - comprising zoologists, geographers and computer scientists - found that fearsome species such as the Komodo dragon, saltwater crocodile and king cobra were of greatest interest to website users. The results are published in the journal Biological Conservation . Co-lead author John C Mittermeier, a PhD candidate in the School of Geography and the Environment at Oxford University, said: 'There is a debate in conservation as to whether the fact that we as humans like a particular species justifies conserving it, regardless of its importance from an ecological point of view. 'But although this idea of some species being "culturally valuable" has been around for some time, it has been difficult to measure and define. Whether or not we want to take these cultural variables into account when shaping conservation policy, we need data to support those decisions.' The researchers looked at 55.5 million page views in the year 2014 for all of the 10,002 species of reptile accessed in Wikipedia. They found that venomous or endangered species, as well as those with higher body mass or posing a threat to humans, tended to be more interesting overall.