A new species of snake that was discovered last year in India’s Berhampur City has been described in the Russian Journal of Herpetology, and thi
A new species of snake that was discovered last year in India’s Berhampur City has been described in the Russian Journal of Herpetology, and this snake is a beauty. The snake, named the Subhendu wolf snake (Lycodon odishi) after the state in which it was found, grows to about 350mm and features a yellow and black pattern with a black head and a yellowish ring around its neck.
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According to the amateur herpetologists who first discovered the snake, it was perceived to have been a known species, Lycodon jara. Upon further research from noted Indian herpetologist Dr. Sibaprasad Parida and the Russian Journal of Herpetology, the snake was found to be distinct from Lycodon jara.
“Although strikingly similar to the other species, Lycodon odishii is much smaller and has a yellow collar which the Lycodon jara lacks,” Parida told The New Indian Express.
The Subhendu wolf snake is a nocturnal species that feeds on skinks and geckos It is non-venomous. According to the scientists, it had often been mistaken for a young Lycodon jara, known as the twin-spotted wolf snake.
John B. Virata keeps a ball python, two corn snakes, a king snake, and two leopard geckos. His first snake, a California kingsnake, was purchased at the Pet Place in Westminster, CA for $5. Follow him on Twitter @johnvirata