Maya’s Pit Viper : Green Snake
A new venomous green snake named Trimeresurus mayaae or Maya’s Pit viper was discovered from Umroi Military station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.
About Maya’s Pit viper:
- The snake measures about 750 mm in length
- It looked very similar to Pope’s Pit Viper but the colour of the eyes was different.
- This snake and the Pope’s Pit Viper have very different hemepenis, the copulatory organ.
- According to a herpetologist, this new species was relatively common in Meghalaya, Mizoram and even in Guwahati.
About Pit Viper
- Pit viper, any species of viper (subfamily Crotalinae) that has, in addition to two movable fangs, a heat-sensitive pit organ between each eye and nostril which together help it accurately aim its strike at its warm-blooded prey.
- Pit vipers are found from deserts to rainforests.
- They may be terrestrial, arboreal, or aquatic. Some species lay eggs; others produce live young.
- The venomous pit vipers species includes hump-nosed pit viper, Mangrove pit viper and Malabar Pit Viper.
- Russell’s Viper and Saw-scaled Viper are two most venomous vipers species found in India and member of big four poisonous and deadliest snakes in India.
- These snake species are responsible for the majority of snake bites in India.
