A new venomous green snake species spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya

Tags: National

Recently a new venomous green snake species named 'Trimesurus mayai' or Maya pit viper has been spotted at Umroi Military Station in Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya.

• This snake-species is named in honour of the late mother of Colonel Yashpal Singh Rathi – 'Maya'.

• This new species is also relatively common in Meghalaya, Mizoram and Guwahati (Assam).

• Key Features of the Maya Pit Viper

• The length of this snake is about 750 mm.

• It is very similar to the Pope's pit viper in appearance, but its eye colour is different.

• Pit viper

• Pit vipers are found from deserts to rainforests.

• These can be terrestrial, arboreal or aquatic. Some of these species lay eggs and other species give birth to live young.

• Venomous pit viper species include the hump-nosed pit viper, mangrove pit viper and Malabar pit viper.

• Russell's Viper and Saw-scaled Viper are two of the most venomous viper species found in India, which is one of the four most venomous and deadliest snakes in India.