International Journal of Molecular Zoology, 2025, Vol.15, No.2, 78-89 http://animalscipublisher.com/index.php/ijmz 85 Researchers wanted to enrich the content of traditional databases through data from citizen science and social media, but the effect was not very good. For instance, photos with location information found on platforms like Flickr and Facebook can complement some records. However, this information is difficult to bring about significant changes to the species distribution model and cannot make up for the missing important geographical data. This problem is particularly prominent in tropical snakes that have received little research and are difficult to discover (Angarita-Sierra et al., 2022; Li and Chen, 2024).These deficiencies indicate that in regions where research is not in-depth enough, more professional field investigations are still needed. Moreover, data sharing should be promoted so that the credibility of the snake distribution model can be higher (Guedes et al., 2017; Marshall and Strine, 2019; Basfore et al., 2024). 7.2 Molecular phylogeny and ancient DNA Methods such as molecular phylogeny and DNA barcoding have greatly increased people's understanding of the number of snake species and their past distribution. For instance, large-scale DNA barcoding studies on snakes in China have discovered previously unnoticed snake species, clarified some unclear categories, and identified geographical obstacles that affect their current distribution. Using these techniques, researchers can identify hidden snake species, restore the associations in their evolutionary processes, and infer past diffusion situations that are difficult to understand merely by looking at physical features (Wu et al., 2023). Ancient DNA and population genome research have further enhanced our ability to track the changes in snake populations and their migration and communication in the past. For instance, gene sequencing has revealed the detailed structure of the western rattlesnake population. Distinguishing different genetic units and past isolation patterns provides a basis for assessing their protection status and formulating management measures. These molecular tools are very important. They can help us understand how past climate and geological events affected the distribution of snakes, and also provide scientific basis for determining future conservation priorities (Schmidt et al., 2020; Wu et al., 2023). 7.3 Interdisciplinary integration The combination of climate models, geographic information systems (GIS), and genetic data continuously promotes the development of snake macroecology. At present, relatively complete classified data and databases combined with GIS can provide more detailed distribution and spatial data. This not only improves the situation in regions with insufficient data such as Varacia, but also provides support for conservation efforts in high-diversity regions like Brazil. These tools helped discover previously unrecorded species numbers, local characteristics and sampling patterns, making biodiversity assessment more reliable (Guedes et al., 2017; Nogueira et al., 2019). Combining niche models with genetic data and distribution information can more reliably predict species' responses to climate change and habitat changes. Field investigations carried out based on species distribution models have successfully recorded some rare or hard-to-find snake species. This indicates that an interdisciplinary approach holds significant value in research and conservation efforts. In order to overcome the existing deficiencies and gain a deeper understanding of the species of snakes worldwide, it is necessary to continuously improve the research methods and promote the integration of data from different sources (Guedes et al., 2017; Zotos et al., 2022; Wu et al., 2023; Entiauspe-Neto et al., 2024). 8 Conclusions and Prospects The global distribution of snakes is mainly determined by past climate events. Previous temperatures and precipitation conditions have influenced the ways in which snake species increase, the expansion of their distribution range, and biogeographical obstacles. These long-standing climatic influencing factors have formed the overall pattern of the number and regionally specific distribution of snake species that can be seen today, especially in regions with stable climates, where different snake groups can continue to multiply and spread. Today's climate change is making many snakes' survival areas smaller. They have to migrate to higher latitudes and higher altitudes, making the distribution more complicated. This problem is particularly prominent in
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