New Snake Species Discovered In Bahamas, Silver Boa Constrictor Surprises Scientists Exploring Remote Island
A new snake species named Chilabothrus argentum has been discovered on a remote island in the southern Bahamas. According to scientists, the unique silver-colored reptile is a type of boa constrictor.
One member of a research team exploring Conception Island first spotted the silver boa in a tree.
“We all came to take a look at it, and it was instantly clear that this was something different,” said biologist R. Graham Reynolds.
After seeing the creature, the scientists went looking for others. The team found the snakes were very common in the area, finding four more later that day. One biologist even had a close encounter while trying to sleep on the nearby beach.
“Sometime around 3:30 in the morning, I woke up to something crawling across my face,” added Reynolds.
New Snake Species discovered in Conception Island National Park! The new species is named Silver Boa! #bnt #snakes pic.twitter.com/1Q5AOM7Ily
— Bahamas National Trust (@BNTBahamas) May 28, 2016
Even more silver boas were spotted as the night went on. After analyzing the reptile’s DNA, the scientists realized they had discovered an entirely new species of boa constrictor.
The new snake species was named the Conception Bank silver boa or Chilabothrus argentum. The name was chosen to represent not only the reptile’s metallic color, but also for the place where it was found. The serpent grows to a maximum length of three feet and can weigh up to one pound.
Other constrictor’s native to the area appear and act very different from the newly found silver species. Most have dark spots and stripes and live on the ground, yet this boa is much paler and spends much of its time in trees hunting birds and frogs.
Reynolds said Chilabothrus argentum are exclusive to the island and most likely will not be found in any other part of the world.
“This new species occurs on a group of islands that have never been connected to any of the other islands in the Bahamas. As far as we know, they only occur on Conception Island Bank and nowhere else.”
The scientists determined that the snake deviated from others in its genus roughly 2 million years ago. Biologists believe the reptile somehow island-hopped from Hispaniola to Conception, a distance of more than 350 miles, over many years.
NEW SPECIES – Silver Boa constrictor discovered on #Bahamian Islands is extremely extinct https://t.co/OimgpaFWMD pic.twitter.com/BWZm2tCxZb
— Conservation Guide (@ConserveGuide) May 27, 2016
According to the research team, the entire silver boa population is probably less than 1,000. Due to their low numbers and isolated habitat, Reynolds wants the International Union for Conversation of Nature to designate the reptile an endangered species.
All the islands that make up the Conception Island Bank are protected national parkland, and visitors to the area are very rare, which is good news for the new snake species. Still, Reynolds and his team are coordinating preservation efforts with the Bahamas National Trust to ensure their protection.
Some herpetologists are worried that collectors and poachers may start capturing the silver boas once the word spreads about their existence. For this reason, the researchers did not disclose exactly where the snakes were found. Nonetheless, hunters would not have a difficult time locating them, as the island is only three square miles.
Julie Ray, director of the conservation group Team Snake Panama, says humans are not the only threats to the snake’s survival.
“All efforts should be made to restrict the number of dogs on the island and how freely they are allowed to roam. More importantly, an attempt should be made to remove the feral cats from this protected natural area because they are not native predators.”
After the initial encounter with the Chilabothrus argentum, the team traveled to Conception Island several more times and electronically tagged over 30 silver boas then released them back into the wild. Globally, finding a new species of frog or lizard is quite common, but the discovery and documenting of a new snake species is very unusual.
[Photo by David McNew/Getty Images]
