Photograph by Jeremy Holden
Posted on 03/30/2011 10:33:51 AM PDT by Red Badger
Seen coiled around a branch in an undated picture, a new species of snake called the ruby-eyed green pit viper (Cryptelytrops rubeus) has been discovered in Southeast Asia, according to a recent study. The snake lives in forests near Ho Chi Minh City and across the low hills of southern Vietnam and eastern Cambodia's Langbian Plateau.
Scientists collected green pit vipers from Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia between 1999 and 2003 and examined them in the lab, using physical characteristics and genetics to identify new species.
"We know this species from only a few specimens, and very few people in the world have seen this snake," said study co-author Anita Malhotra, a molecular ecologist at Bangor University in the U.K. "We know very little about what it does, to be honest."
Malhotra and colleagues also discovered a very similar species with striking yellow eyes (not pictured) dubbed the Cardamom Mountains green pit viper (Cryptelytrops cardamomensis), which inhabits southeastern Thailand and southwestern Cambodia. Both new species were described in the January 23 issue of the journal Zootaxa.
Photograph by Jeremy Holden
Looks like Hillary.
Obotulism is his true form.
Hope it doesn’t run for office.
With the way our American luck has been going recently, he’ll be our next president.
Please, its a beautiful creature.
Please don't. This is a stunningly beautiful creature.
How do we know if they never survived their encounter?
He is purty. I will restrict my pleasure in looking at him to pictures only.
He’s a beauty! I wish my yard snakes were this lovely to look at! They do their job though.
Being a pit viper implies that it is venomous, but the article never even mentioned that. Is it venomous? How potent is its venom? I agree with other posters in that it is a stunningly beautiful snake.
Gorgeous animal.
Doubt he would have survived my granmother at 96 when she killed her last “rattlesnake” in her flower beds. (she died at 98)
She did not need an explanation from some tree hugger to tell that old pioneer woman that if you see an unknown snake near the house, you killed it. (she was very good with a hoe)
Was just about to ping you. BTW, have they come up with a safe way to handle a mole viper yet?
Looks like a Democrat...
She sounded like a tough lady. I don’t blame her one bit. I admit some snakes have beautiful colors and markings.
but...I also don’t care to get aquainted with any of them.
I always go through the snake exhibit at the zoo at record speed.
I searched thru this:
http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt02757p023.pdf
And it doesn’t mention venom.............
I used to have two snakes. Very interesting animals, despite their lack of intelligence.
My ball python used to escape and hide for about 6 months at a time. We’d find him in all kinds of strange places. He hasn’t returned from his latest safari. Haven’t seen him in four years. I don’t think he’s coming back.
My boa was too big to hide, but when he would escape out the front door and slither down the street, it always caused a stir in the neighborhood.
He died of pneumonia about five years ago. I’m glad I don’t have to feed live rats to them anymore. That was heartbreaking.
So how come every time they find a snake or whatever with different colored eyes, or a spot somewhere that other snakes just like it except for that one thing we got a new species, but there is only one species to cover vikings, bushmen, and Mongolians, etc.
I imagine the rats felt crushed, too................
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