Discovering the richness of Brazilian amphibians and reptiles through images from Instagram profiles

Abstract

Social media posts can enhance public understanding of biodiversity by promoting species discovery and raising awareness of its importance. Here, we evaluated the representativeness of amphibian and reptile species published on Instagram profiles and discussed the role of social media in publicizing these animals. We analyzed Brazilian profiles that regularly published photos of herpetofauna on Instagram between 2015 and 2021. We identified 1,739 images of 597 amphibian species, mostly anurans, and 2,036 images of 532 reptile species, mostly squamates. The number of images is strongly correlated with the number of amphibian and reptile species featured on Instagram profiles. The species featured in the posts tended to reflect the actual richness of the herpetofauna from Brazil, with a tendency toward species described in earlier taxonomic studies. Endemic and native Brazilian species appeared more frequently, most of which were not classified as threatened. As a result, endangered species were underrepresented in posts, indicating the need for more content highlighting their conservation. These actions, however, should be approached cautiously due to the risks of inadvertently exposing species targeted by the illegal wildlife trade. Finally, we discuss strategies to optimize social media posts to ensure they fulfill their potential in supporting biodiversity conservation.