In a dwindling mangrove forest in central Myanmar, a creature slithers through the treetops. The presence of this scaly creature has caught the eye of experts in the sphere. This creature belongs to a recently discovered species.
During a biodiversity survey conducted in 2000 and 2001, scientists got here across this green snake, in keeping with a study published December 13 within the journal ZooKeys. Initially, scientists misidentified the snake as a pit viper, one in every of the venomous snake species.
DNA evaluation of the snakes revealed that the creatures belonged to a “distinct species”. Researchers then took a better have a look at 19 green snakes that had previously been misidentified. They realized that they’d actually discovered a brand new species, named Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis, or Ayeyarwady pit viper.
Research shows that the Ayeyarwady pit viper can reach a length of over 3 meters. This snake is characterised by scales with a “sharp” texture and a green color with various patterns and motifs.
The photos presented here show several examples of the Ayeyarwady pit viper. One of the snakes has an ombré body, with mossy green on the back progressively fading to lime green and almost yellow-white on the belly.
In one other photo, the ayeyarwady viper has a mottled pattern on its scales, with vivid green alternating with forest green scales. This snake has a white line along its sides and its belly is striking yellow. Its forked tongue is the colour of black licorice.
The ayeyarwady viper may have lighter lime green scales on its belly as shown within the photos. Scientists also noticed differences in the attention color of this snake, starting from dark red to gold.
The study shows that this recent species was present in mangroves and other forest habitats of two neighboring coastal regions, the Yangon region and the Ayeyarwady region. These regions stretch about 500 miles south of Naypyidaw, the capital of Burma.
Scientists explain that the name of this recent species relies on the Ayeyarwady River, also often known as the Irrawaddy River. This river is taken into account the biggest and plays a key role in Burma. In addition, the Ayeyarwady River serves as a marker for the distribution limits of the brand new species.
