Bihar Snake New Species: A new species of vine snake has been discovered in Bihar, surprising even scientists. Two scientists, Saurabh Verma and Soham Pattekar, discovered this long-nosed snake in Gonauli village of Bihar in 2021. Saurabh and Soham were roaming on the outskirts of Gonauli village when they saw a dead snake.
These long-snouted vine snakes can be bright green or orange-brown. Their bellies are usually orange in colour. According to a research paper published in the Companion Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, two specimens of the long-snouted vine snake (Ahaetulla longirostris) were discovered hundreds of kilometres apart – in Bihar and Meghalaya.
The Length Of These Snakes Can Be Up To 4 Feet
DNA testing, follow-up surveys and in-depth analysis revealed that the two scientists had inadvertently discovered a new species of vine snake. The study published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity states that the length of long-snouted vine snakes is 4 feet.
This research included Zeeshan Mirza, Soham Pattekar, Saurabh Verma, Brian Stuart, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Pratyush Mahapatra and Harshil Patel. The study states, ‘On 16 December 2021, a dead vine snake was found on the outskirts of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve on the border of Gonauli village in the Indian state of Bihar. The cause of death could not be ascertained as there were no external injuries on the animal.’
Where Can These Snakes Be Found
These snakes live in forests and human-dominated areas like cities. Zeeshan wrote on a Facebook post that I have always found vine snakes quite complicated, but I was lucky to see something different. We have discovered a new species of long-snouted vine snake from eastern and northeastern India.
The new species may be green or brown with an orange belly. It is currently known from the outskirts of the Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar and Guwahati in Assam. It may be widely spread across the lower-elevation floodplains of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.
