Anguiculus dicaprioi

About Anguiculus dicaprioi:

• It is a member of the Colubridae, the largest family of snakes on the planet with 304 genera and 1,938 species.
• Features
  • The new species has dozens of small sized teeth.
  • It grows around 22 inches and has a broad collar with small dark brown spots.
  • It has a "robust skull", and a “steeply domed snout”.
  • This species live at heights of around 6,000 feet above sea level.
• Researchers suggested common name ‘DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake’.
• Distribution: The snake is found in Chamba, Kullu and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, Nainital in Uttarakhand and Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
• These snakes are mostly active from late May to August and are not seen at other times of the year.

What are Colubrid Snakes?

• A colubrid is any of the numerous, diverse, largely nonvenomous snakes that comprise the reptile family Colubridae.
• The Colubridae family is one of the largest snake families, consisting of over 1,800 species.
• They are characterized by the absence of hind limbs.
• They are found in various regions around the world, except for Antarctica and some remote oceanic islands.
• Habitats: They inhabit a wide range of environments, including forests, grasslands, deserts, wetlands, and aquatic habitats.
• Venom: The majority of colubrid snakes are non-venomous.
• Among well-known colubrids are king snakes, water snakes, milk snakes, garter snakes, racers, rat snakes, ring-necked snakes, hog-nosed snakes, and the venomous boomslangs.

Q1: What is antivenom?

These are purified antibodies against venoms or venom components. Antivenoms are produced from antibodies made by animals to injected venoms. Antivenom is the only definitive treatment for effective bites by venomous Australian snakes.

News: New snake species in Western Himalayas named after Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio