This Dazzling Green Snake Was Hiding in Plain Sight for Decades

Researchers in western Sichuan, China, discovered that a pitviper long mistaken for the bamboo pitviper is actually a new species.

The snake was confirmed through DNA and physical traits and named Trimeresurus lii, a new member of the Trimeresurus genus.

The finding adds to China’s biodiversity record and highlights the need for more surveys in understudied mountain habitats.

Because the species is venomous and lives near people, the discovery also carries public-health relevance.