Salazar Pit Viper, the real-life Harry Potter snake, found in Assam's Kaziranga National Park

Salazar Pit Viper

Source: CNBC

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

New Salazar Pit Viper species identified in the Kaziranga National Park, Assam named after a ‘Harry Potter’ character boosting the area’s bio-diversity and wildlife conservation.

Details

Key points:

Salazar Pit Viper located in Kaziranga National Park, Assam.
Originally found in Arunachal Pradesh.
Northeast Biodiversity: Another reptile species found in the area for the first time in more than a year.

Salazar Pit Viper:

Scientific Name	*Trimeresurus Salazar.*
Genus	Family of *Trimeresurus Lacepede.*
Naming Inspiration	Inspired by the character Salazar Slytherin from Harry Potter book/film series.
Distinctive Features	Green without any contrast that is an orange-red stripe runs along the head.
Venomous Nature	A subfamily of the dangerous snakes possessing thermal organs called pit organs.
Discovery	Discovered by the researched from NCBS Bengaluru and Bombay Natural History Society.

Kaziranga National Park:

Location	Originally found in the Golaghat and Nagaon districts of Assam state in India. Brahmaputra River serves as a natural border with the park to the north. Towards the south of the park there are Karbi Anglong hills.
Landscape	Sheer forest Tall elephant grass Rugged reeds Marshes Shallow pools
Famous for	The one-horned rhinoceros, it is the largest population of this species of the world which was over 2400 in the year of 2020.
Other wildlife	tigers, elephants panthers, bears, thousands and thousands of birds.
Declared as a National Park	1974
World Heritage Site	This site has been recognized as a world heritage site by the United Nations educational, scientific and cultural organization since the year 1985.

Sources:

CNBC

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the Salazar Pit Viper:

1.It is a newly discovered species of viper named after a character in a classic novel.

2.It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountain range in India.

Which of the following statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(d) None

Answer: (a)