A new species of green pit viper found in Arunachal Pradesh has a Harry Potter link. A group of researchers who recorded this serpent has named it Salazar’s pit viper. The other two species are the Arunachal pit viper, India’s fifth brown pit viper but with a reddish tinge, and a natricid burrowing snake similar to the shieldtail snake found in the Western Ghats. The new species was found to have scales similar to three other pit viper species — Trimeresurus septentrionalis, Trimeresurus insularis Kramer and Trimeresurus albolabris. “Green pit viper conforming to the specifications of the one named after a Harry Potter character have been found in urban areas too.

Source: The Hindu April 16, 2020 12:03 UTC