While Asian pit vipers are a notoriously diverse group of snakes, discovering a new one is always exciting. According to a 2023 study published in Vertebrate Zoology, researchers first happened upon this bright emerald green and red-spotted viper slithering among rock outcrops while they were surveying the dense forests of southern Thailand in 2016. They were immediately taken by the snake's beautiful coloration, which they believe helps it blend in with bright green moss and lichens in its rocky limestone karst habitat, as well as the series of small raised scales above its eyes.
This feature – unusual among pit vipers, which usually have a single eyebrow scale that gives them a stern look – creates the impression of eyelashes. Genetic analysis and physical measurements confirmed that it was a new species, which they named the limestone eyelash pit viper (Trimeresurus ciliaris). Though it's only 17 inches long, this snake, like all pit vipers, produces potent venom that could have important medical significance.
In captivity, it was observed eating small frogs and geckos – sometimes even luring them by wiggling its tail – but its exact diet in the wild remains unknown. Researchers believe it lives exclusively in limestone karsts in forests near the border of Thailand and Malaysia, and appears to be most active during the day. Given its coloration, small size, up-turned nose, and green eyelashes, Nikolay Poyarkov, one of the study's authors, admitted to McClatchy News (via the Miami Herald), "The snake looked pretty cute."
[Featured image by Sabira S. Idiiatullina, Parinya Pawangkhanant, Tanapong Tawan, Thanawut Worranuch, Bunyarit Dechochai, Chatmongkon Suwannapoom, Tan Van Nguyen, Lawan Chanhome, and Nikolay A. Poyarkov via Vertebrate Zoology| Cropped and scaled | CC BY 4.0]
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