A new snake species with a long snout has been found in India, with two specimens caught in Bihar and Meghalaya states, respectively, despite being hundreds of kilometers apart. Known scientifically as Ahaetulla longirostris, or the long-snouted vine snake, this discovery was recently published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity.

Two researchers, Sourabh Verma and Soham Pattekar, were conducting field work in Bihar state, near the outskirts of a village in 2021, when they discovered a dead snake about four feet in length. They both got interested by the strange look of the reptile, which seemed not to belong to any species they were familiar with. Saying this, the researchers are confident that they managed to reveal the existence of a new, heretofore undescribed species of vine snake after the completion of the DNA tests, the additional field work, and the further analysis.

Snake Species
Image Source: Ecosperity

The recently identified long-snouted vine snake from the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity states that the snake will grow up to a length of four feet. Contributors to this research discovery are Zeeshan Mirza, Soham Pattekar, Sourabh Verma, Bryan Stuart, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Pratyush Mohapatra, and Harshil Patel.

According to the study, “On 16 December 2021, a deceased vine snake was found on the outskirts of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve at the boundaries of the Gonauli village in the state of Bihar, India. The cause of death could not be ascertained as the animal did not bear any external injury.” The study further denotes, “The tail tip was taken from the dead Bihar specimen and preserved in 95% ethanol for molecular analysis. Molecular data further attested to the distinctiveness of the Bihar and Meghalaya population.”

These long-snouted vine snakes have bright green or orange-brown colors, with oranges being unique because of their bright orange abdomen. They live in a number of actualisations , including in the forest regions but also in what they refer to as ‘anthropogenic’ regions, such as cities.

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