34 Aim 35Evaluating the relative roles of biological traits and environmental factors that predispose 36 species to an elevated risk of extinction is of fundamental importance to macroecology. Results 54Range size was the most important predictor of extinction risk, reflecting the high frequency 55 of reptiles assessed under range-based IUCN criteria. Habitat specialists occupying accessible 56 ranges were at a greater risk of extinction: although these factors never contributed more than 57 10% to the variance in extinction risk, they showed significant interactions with range size. 58Predictive power of our global models ranged between 23 and 29%. The general overall 59 pattern remained the same among geographic, taxonomic and threat-specific data subsets. Main conclusions 62Proactive conservation requires shortcuts to identify species at high risk of extinction.

On 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an electronic diary completed by members of the general public and participants involved in “Generation Pup”, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of dogs. A total of 10,510 free-text entries were analysed. Three major themes emerged: spending time at home with dog(s), walking practices, and behaviour and training. Owners valued having more time than usual with their dog(s) but also recognised that spending extra time with their dog(s) may negatively impact on the dog’s future ability to cope when left alone. However, very few owners provided alone time for their dog(s) during the lockdown. The opportunity to walk their dog(s) as part of their permitted daily exercise was regarded positively, but walks under the lockdown guidelines were not always felt to be adequate with respect to providing sufficient exercise and opportunities for interaction with other dogs. Owners reported observing new undesirable behaviours in their dog(s) during the lockdown, including barking and dogs being “clingy” or vocalising when briefly left alone. Based on these findings, we suggest intervention strategies to best support dog welfare that include helping dog owners to teach dogs to cope with being alone, even if owners do not need to leave their dogs alone.

Initial COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in the United Kingdom (23 March–12 May 2020) prompted lifestyle changes for many people. We explored the impact of this lockdown phase on pet dogs using an online survey completed by 6004 dog owners, who provided information including dog management data for the 7 days prior to survey completion (4–12 May 2020), and for February 2020 (pre-lockdown). We explored associations between potential predictors and four outcomes relating to changes pre-/during lockdown (reduction in number and duration of walks; increased frequency of play/training, and provision of toys). Most owners (79.5%) reported their dog’s routine had changed compared to pre-lockdown. There was a four-fold increase in the proportion not left alone for >5 min on any day during a weekly period (14.6% pre-lockdown, 58.0% during lockdown), with the proportion being left for ≥3 h at a time decreasing from 48.5% to 5.4%. Dogs were walked less often and for less time daily during lockdown, with factors related to the dog, owner, household, and home location associated with changes to walking practices. Many dogs had more play/training sessions and were given toys more frequently during lockdown. Decreased walk duration was associated with increased odds of play/training opportunities and toy provision. These changes to dog management have the potential for immediate and longer-term welfare problems.

Aim: Understanding determinants of species' range size is paramount to explaining global ecological patterns and estimating extinction risk of species. Here, we examined whether a sample of 536 snake species exhibits a latitudinal gradient of range size in support of Rapoport's rule, and determined predictors of range size from a set of environmental and biological factors. Location: Global.Methods: Based on a priori hypotheses about the effects of latitude, environmental and biological factors on species' range, we calculated mid-latitudes of species ranges, and collected data on environmental factors (altitude, temperature, precipitation, size and number of ecoregions occupied) and biological traits (body size, fecundity, habitat breadth and species age) to construct multivariate models of snake range size. We used a recently published dated consensus phylogeny to determine minimum adequate models of range size using phylogenetic generalized least squares models and establish correlations between range size and time since species' description. Results:Range size increased significantly with latitude, consistent with Rapoport's rule, especially across mid-and high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. Habitat breadth, body size and altitudinal range had a significant positive effect on range size, with minor negative effects on range size from mean altitude and reproductive output.Biological variables explained more variation in range size than environmental variables. Species' range size had a significant effect on species' description, with largerranged species having been described earlier.Main conclusions: Prediction of range size in lesser-known species such as snakes relies on a suite of factors. Species with restricted habitat breadth, small body size and at high altitudes generally have smaller ranges, and are thus likely to have higher extinction risk. [Correction added on 10 October 2017, after first online publication: The preceding sentence has been rephrased for clarity.] Our work illustrates that it is these species we are likely to under-report in extinction risk assessments.