Researchers in India found a new species of green pit vipers. Upon their discovery, they decided to name the snake after Salazar Slytherin, a character from the Harry Potter books.
The snake’s name is Trimeresurus salazar and was found in India in the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot. If you’re unsure about what’s interesting about the name, then perhaps some pop culture is necessary here.
In the Harry Potter series, Salazar Slytherin was one of the four founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Hogwarts House, Slytherin, was named after him.
One of the things Salazar Slytherin was famous and feared for, was his ability to talk to snakes, a language called ‘parseltongue’. In fact, a snake forms the main part of the Hogwarts house’s symbol because of this.
The team published their research in Zoosystematics and Evolution, in which they claim the snake is often referred to as Salazar’s pit viper.
Pit vipers of the Trimeresurus genus are venomous. They can be found in East and Southeast Asia and around 48 total species of this genus is found in the same area.
In order to determine if a pit viper is of this genus or from others, you would have to look for its defining characteristic.
‘The new green pit viper demonstrates a unique orange to reddish stripe, present on the head and body in males,’ said a statement released by the journal’s publishers.
To read the full study, click here.
Image: Twitter / Tony News Network ( Aamod Zambre and Chintan Seth, Eaglenest Biodiversity)
