New Delhi: The trend of naming a discovery in nature after some famous personality is not new, and now, famous Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has been honoured with the same. In the biodiversity-rich Western Himalayas, a research team discovered a new snake species in the western Himalayas, and it has been named after him for his contribution to nature’s conservation. In this article, we will learn more about this discovery.
A new snake species named after Leonardo DiCaprio
The new species of snake has been named Anguiculus dicaprioi. It is a member of the Colubridae, the planet’s largest family of snakes with 304 genera and 1,938 species. They make up almost two-thirds of all living snakes in the world.
The team that made the discovery comprised researchers from India, the United Kingdom and Germany. They discovered in 2020 while searching for lesser-known species of snakes as part of a project on India’s reptiles. The study of the discovery was published on October 22, 2024, in Scientific Reports.
The term ‘Anguiculus’ in Latin means ‘small snake’. The study clarified that the specific epithet ‘dicaprioi’ honours Leonardo DiCaprio who, besides being a film personality, is also an environmentalist actively involved in climate change awareness, the impact of pollution on health and increased biodiversity loss. Also, he has arranged for funds for field conservation and research.
The ‘Anguiculus dicaprioi’ snake species is reportedly found from central Nepal to Himachal Pradesh’s Chamba district. These snakes are mostly active from late May to August and are rarely seen at other times of the year. According to the study, the study suggested ‘DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake’ as the common name of the snake species.
How did the researchers find the snake?
The team of researchers were visiting the western Himalayas in Himachal Pradesh when they found some snakes on a mud road. The snakes, brown in colour, were basking in the sun. They did not move until the researchers caught them and did not try to bite. The researchers studied the snakes and after doing their DNA analysis and comparing them with other snakes, a new species of snakes was discovered.
The snakes are found in areas of Himachal Pradesh like Kullu and Chamba and also in Uttarakhand’s Nainital and Nepal’s Chitwan National Park. The species has dozens of teeth and is small in size. It grows to around 22 inches. They are mainly found at a height of around 6,000 feet above sea level.
