Scientists have discovered a new species of snake in the Kimberley region, north-western Australia.
The Kimberley death adder (Acanthophis cryptamydros). Image credit: Ryan J. Ellis.
The newly-discovered species belongs to Acanthophis (Australian death adders), a genus of highly venomous snakes found in Australia and New Guinea, and also on several Indonesian islands to the west of New Guinea.
Named the Kimberley death adder (Acanthophis cryptamydros), the snake is roughly 24 inches (60 cm) long and has a diamond-shaped head.
It is a ‘sit-and-wait’ predator, staying camouflaged until it can ambush any passing frogs, lizards or small mammals.
The species is described in a paper published August 28 in the journal Zootaxa.
“Surprisingly, the snakes it most closely resembles aren’t its closest genetic relatives,” said lead author Simon Maddock of the Natural History Museum and University College London.
Maddock and co-authors identified the Kimberley death adder while researching the genetics and ecological characteristics of snakes living in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
The species’ range in the region is known to extend from Wotjulum in the west, 45 km north-north-east of Halls Creek in the south, and Kununurra in the east. It is also known to occur on some offshore islands including Koolan, Bigge, Boongaree, Wulalam, and an unnamed island in Talbot Bay.
“It’s not clear how many Kimberley death adders there are in the wild, but they’re probably quite rare,” Maddock said.
“And given the number of new species found in Kimberley recently – including frogs, lizards and many plants – it’s likely to be just one of many currently undescribed snakes in the west of Australia.”
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