The snake is glossy black in coloration and can grow up to one meter in length, the researchers noted.
Researchers in India have discovered and described a new wolf snake species from the great Nicobar Islands in India. They have named the colubrid snake, Lycodon irwini, after the late Steve Irwin, affectionately known as the Crocodile Hunter. Irwin is by far the most popular conservationist, zookeeper and wildlife educator to come out of Australia.
Lycodon irwini. Photo by Girish Choure
The researchers, R. S. Naveen and S. R. Chandramouli of the Pondicherry University, Zeeshan A. Mirza of the Max Planck Institute for Biology and Girish Choure of Pune, wrote in their paper, “The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the late Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962–1964 September 2006), the renowned Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, and wildlife educator. His passion and dedication to wildlife education and conservation have inspired naturalists and conservationists worldwide, including the authors of this paper.”
Description
The snake is a glossy black in coloration and can grow up to one meter in length, the researchers noted. The researchers believe the snake, which is non-venomous, feeds on reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. It is known to be endemic to the Great Nicobar Islands in the Adaman and Nicobar Archipelago.
Crocodile Hunter's Cameraman Reveals Steve Irwin's Last Moments
Due to its limited known distribution, the researchers recommend the Irwin wolf snake be listed as “Endangered” under the IUCN Red List. The researchers conducted molecular analysis of three specimens of Lycodon irwini and determined it to be a new species in the L. subcinctus group. The snakes were collected in a moist evergreen forest habitat crossing a road.
Currently there are at least four animal species named after Steve Irwin: Elseya irwini, Irwin’s turtle Crikey steveirwini, a land snail, Trypanosoma irwini, a blood parasite of koalas, and Lycodon irwini, Irwin’s wolf snake.
The complete paper describing the species, A ‘Crikey’ new snake: An insular Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata, Colubridae) from the Nicobar Archipelago, India” can breed in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
