New Indian snake

Tuesday 29th August 2023

New Indian snake


Slithering near a stream in India, a “docile” creature went about its day. Scientists spotted the scaly animal and watched as it munched on frogs. Taking a closer look, they discovered it was a new species. Researchers set out to survey biodiversity in the Western Ghats region of Maharashtra, Zeeshan Mirza and Harshil Patel told McClatchy News. They started noticing that snakes in the northern area looked quite different from those in the southern area. To investigate, researchers captured six snakes from the northern area, , according to a study published Aug. 21 in the journal Taxonomy. Studying the reptiles, they discovered a new species: Sahyadriophis uttaraghati, or the Northern Sahyadri keelback snake.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article278524349.html#storylink=cpy

Jonathan Downes
Cryptozoologist, naturalist, musician, singer, composer, poet, novelist and Director of the Centre for Fortean Zoology since 1992. Jon was born in Portsmouth in 1959 and spent his infancy in Nigeria and his childhood in Hong Kong. His wife Corinna died of cancer in 2020, leaving him with two stepdaughters and a six year old granddaughter called Evelyn.