Bandy-bandy: Australian scientists shocked as they discover a new venomous snake by chance | Nature | New

The surprise discovery was made by Associate Professor Bryan Fry of the University of Queensland near Weipa City on the west coast of the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland.

The snake is a new species of bandy-bandy snakes are endemic to Australia and are usually marked by alternating black and white stripes.

Bandy-bandy snakes prefer underground conditions under rocks or wood, and Professor Fry expresses his shock of discovering the snake in the open air on a concrete block. 19659002] Commenting to News.au about the discovery, he said: "Bandy-Bandy is a burrowing snake, so Freek Vonk of the Naturalis Museum and I was surprised to find him on a concrete block by the sea

discovered that the snake had slipped from a pile of bauxite rubble waiting to be loaded onto a ship.

"At the examination of my pupil Chantelle Derez, the bandy-bandy has turned out to be a new, visually and genetically distinct species those found on the east coast of Australia and in some parts of the interior.

Bandy-bandy snakes are smooth and shiny, with small eyes and a short tail

Average length is 50 to 60 cm Dorsal scales are 15 rows mid-body [19659004] Biologists previously knew five species of snakes, and the new species was officially named Vermicella parscauda.

The species is considered to be slightly venomous, causing only localized symptoms However, Professor Fry warned that the Snake could be threatened due to large-scale mining in the Weipa region of Queensland.

He said: "The extraction of bauxite is a major economic activity in the region. the environment at the expense of native plants and animals. "

The biologist emphasized the importance of discovery for further scientific research and emphasized the need for protect the species from extinction.

He concluded: Such discoveries go beyond simply documenting what exists, because venoms are rich sources of compounds that can be used to develop new drugs.

"Every species is precious and we must protect them all, because we can not predict" The discovery of this enigmatic little snake is symptomatic of the much more fundamental problem of how little we know about our biodiversity and what can be lost even before we find out. "

Biologists have therefore asked the Queensland Department of Environment and Science to declare the snake threatened.