5-foot predator — with ‘large’ eyes — found near road in Trinidad. It’s a new species
On an island of Trinidad and Tobago, a 5-foot-long predator moved through the trees near a road. Something about the scaly green animal caught the attention of nearby scientists — and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
Located just off the coast of Venezuela and part of the southern Caribbean, the island of Trinidad has several native reptile species that look “indistinguishable, or almost so, from their mainland counterparts,” according to a study published May 20 in the peer-reviewed journal Systematics and Biodiversity. Many of these snakes have not been studied with “modern scientific methods.”
A team of researchers set out to change that. They decided to analyze the DNA and external appearance on a group of snakes known as sipo snakes, the study said.
A pattern began to emerge. One of Trinidad’s snake populations, previously identified as being a known species from mainland South America, actually had unique DNA and physical features.
Researchers realized they’d discovered a new species: Chironius nigelnoriegai, or the Trinidadian sipo snake.
Trinidadian sipo snakes can reach over 5 feet in length, the study said. They have “large” eyes, “dark olive green” bodies and a stripe down the center of their backs.
Photos show color variation of Trinidadian sipo snakes. The scaly animals consistently have yellow bellies and tan-brown eyes. One photo shows the snake’s forked red tongue.
Trinidadian sipo snakes are predators, primarily eating frogs, and move between the forest floor, lower branches and treetop canopy, researchers said. During the day, the animals are active along the ground. At night, they sleep in the trees.
Researchers named the new species “nigelnoriegai” after Nigel Noriega, an “integrative biologist” working in Trinidad and the southern Caribbean. The new species’s common name refers to the island where it was first discovered and, so far, the only area where it has been found.
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, coloring, other subtle physical features and DNA, the study said.
The research team included Robert Jadin, Michael Jowers, Christopher Blair, Rickaela Ludwig, Xabier Salgado-Irazabal and John Murphy.
This story was originally published May 24, 2024 at 12:23 PM with the headline "5-foot predator — with ‘large’ eyes — found near road in Trinidad. It’s a new species."
