by Alan Greenblatt, “The Two-Way” Breaking News >From NPR.
May 21, 2014, The Clarion nightsnake's coloration makes it difficult to see in its black lava habitat.
A
species of snake that was thought to have gone missing for nearly 80
years — or never to have existed in the first place — has been found.
The
Clarion nightsnake, named for the island it inhabits off Mexico's
Pacific coast, had been identified only once, back in 1936 by naturalist
William Beebe.
He
brought a specimen back to the American Museum of Natural History in
New York, but scientists questioned whether it was a distinct species.
Double-checking wasn't easy. The volcanic island of Clarion is accessible only by military escort.
The
18-inch snake is hard to spot, even if you happen to know just where to
look. It's active at night and is brownish black with dark spots, which
helps it blend into its black lava rock habitat, according to a
Smithsonian Institution .
But
Smithsonian researcher Daniel Mulcahy went exploring with a team from
Mexico's Instituto de Ecologia led by Juan Martinez-Gomez.
It fell to a graduate student to make the first spotting. In all, the team found 11 of the snakes.
DNA
testing showed that the Clarion nightsnake is distinct from other
snakes located on the Mexican mainland. The researchers intend to
continue to study it and its role in the local environment.
They will publish results in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
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