New Ruby-Eyed Pit Viper Discovered

Photograph by Peter Paul van Dijk

Rare Jewel?

A ruby-eyed green pit viper raises its head in southern Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park in May 2000. The park is a stronghold for the new snake species, which inhabits a rather small geographic range where pressures on forests are high, Malhotra said.

It's not known how well the snake might adapt to other habitats, so it's not clear whether the ruby-eyed green pit viper should be considered an endangered species. But Malhotra and colleagues hope the snake doesn’t fall victim to status-seeking collectors of rare animals.

Rubies, as the snakes are called, "might be very vulnerable to that," she said, "because it's such a beautiful species."

National Geographic
Published : Monday, March 28, 2011