'Harry Potter snake' Salazar Pit Viper found in Assam's Kaziranga National Park
The Salazar Pit Viper, which belongs to the genus Trimeresurus, was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh in 2019. The nocturnal snakes have a unique reddish-to-orange stripe present on the head and body of males.
In a remarkable discovery, a rare Salazar Pit Viper was found in Assam for the first time. The venomous pit viper, named after the character Salazar Slytherin from J.K. Rowling¡¯s ¡®Harry Potter¡¯ series, was found in Kaziranga National Park in Assam.
Twitter
Assam CM shares photos
On Monday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared photos of the snake through his social media account. ¡°Guess what, kids? Kaziranga just found a real-life Harry Potter snake! Meet the super cool Salazar Pit Viper: it¡¯s green like magic and has a funky red-orange stripe on its head. Isn¡¯t nature awesome?¡± the CM wrote.
Also read: Rare Golden Tiger Spotted In Assam's Kaziranga National Park
? Guess what, kids? ? Kaziranga just found a real-life Harry Potter snake! Meet the super cool Salazar Pit Viper: it's green like magic and has a funky red-orange stripe on its head. Isn't nature awesome? ?? #MagicalSnake #KazirangaAdventures pic.twitter.com/GMxKuszzB7
¡ª Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 8, 2024
What is Salazar Pit Viper
The Salazar Pit Viper, which belongs to the genus Trimeresurus, was discovered in Arunachal Pradesh in 2019. The nocturnal snakes, which have a unique reddish-to-orange stripe present on the head and body of males, are one of 48 known members of the genus Trimeresurus.
Research Matters
How it got the name
Zeeshan A. Mirza, who led the expedition that discovered the snake, said it was named Trimeresurus salazar after Salazar Slytherin, a Parselmouth (able to talk with serpents) wizard, co-founder of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the founder of the House of Slytherin from Harry Potter.
Also read: White Hog Deer Spotted At Kaziranga National Park
Difficult to tell apart
According to scientists, the genus Trimeresurus is spread across East and Southeast Asia. However, they are hard to tell apart in the field, so scientists believe their real diversity could be underestimated.
Indian Snakes
¡°Asian pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus are notoriously difficult to tell apart because they run the gamut of morphological variation. Some groups contain multiple species that look alike, while others may look very different but are actually the same species,¡± Herpetologist Dr. Chan Kin Onn of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, Singapore, said.
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