New snake species from the Himalayas discovered

Beijing: Chinese scientists have discovered a new species of brownish pit viper in the largest scientific study since the 1970s on wildlife at Mount Everest.

A genetic analysis identified Protobothrops Himalayanus, which was first spotted at Jilong Valley in southern Tibet Autonomous Region in 2012, as a new snake species. The new species was named in honour of its home, the Himalayas, Hu Huijian, from the research team told state-run Xinhua news agency. The discovery provides more evidence of Tibet`s biodiversity, Hu said. Currently, there are 12 valid species in the genus Protobothrops, of which seven are known to inhabit China and many of them prefer mountain areas at high elevations. The details of the discovery were published in the journal Asian Herpetological Research.