According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, federal protection could be necessary for three amphibian species and seven reptiles, together with the spiky-shelled alligator snapping turtle. On Tuesday, the Fish and Wildlife Service said additional study will be done on those species to decide whether they should classify them as endangered or threatened.

The agency said warrant scrutiny include green salamanders, a spotted turtle that was once found across the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida, and a tree-climbing species that once populated 13 Appalachian states.

A number of other species of snakes and lizards and a frog will also be on the list for the study. Jaclyn Lopez, director of the Florida office of the Center for Biological Diversity spoke regarding the federal decision that it's a great step in the direction of protecting these species.

She added species that reach the Endangered Species Act's threatened or endangered list have a great opportunity of survival. In 2012, the environmental group asked the Fish and Wildlife Service for protection of 53 species together with the hook-beaked alligator snapping turtles that can weigh up to 200 pounds. Lopez said some of these creatures seem to be prehistoric.

According to Tierra Currry, a senior scientist at the center based in Tucson, Arizona, it is still in anticipation of a federal decision on approximately 26 of the other reptile and amphibian species. As per a statement from the Fish and Wildlife Service, five more species, in addition to a crawfish species don't need such help.