Distinct new adder species discovered
[caption id="attachment_100916" align="alignright" width="300"] The Kimberley death adder[/caption]
SCIENTISTS have discovered a new species of a deadly snake in Australia – the Kimberley death adder – adding to the nation’s world-beating list of venomous snakes.
The orange-brown snake – a “sit-and-wait” predator – has diamond-shaped scales and remains camouflaged before ambushing passing creatures such as birds, frogs and lizards, or potentially humans.
It inhabits the remote Kimberley region of northwest Australia. The snake is typically about 60cm long. The new species adds to the impressive list of poisonous creatures in Australia, which is believed to have 20 of the world’s 25 most deadly snakes, including the entire top 10.
Death adders – which are typically found in Australia, as well as in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea – are among the world’s most poisonous snakes.
A team led by Simon Maddock, from London’s Natural History Museum and University College London, examined the snake’s genetic and biological characteristics and confirmed it belonged to a distinct species, which was named acanthophis cryptamydros, or the Kimberley death adder. -Jonathan Pearlman [The Telegraph]
