DECEMBER 4, 2015
by Brett Smith
We may have mapped the Earth from the tops of the Himalayas to the bottoms of the deepest ocean trenches, but there are still animal species out there waiting to be discovered. One of these newly-discovered species is Synophis zaheri—a black-eyed snake found high in the Andes.
In an attempt to clarify the taxonomy around S. zaheri and its colubrid serpent family, American and Ecuadorian researchers have published a review and discussion on the relationships within the non-venomous snake in the open-access journal ZooKeys.Slim and modestly-sized, the newly-described species is between 13.8 and 14.6 inches in length. In contrast to to its slim body and distinct neck, the snake's eyes are large and protruding, making up for greater than a third of its head. The eyes are pitch-black in color, which makes it hard to differentiate the pupil and the iris. While the upper section of the body is grayish-brown with an iridescent shine, the abdominal side stands apart with its yellowish-white color.
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