A team of researchers has made an exciting discovery in Kosovo, identifying three colubrid snakes that have never before been documented in the country. These species include Platyceps najadum, also known as the Dahl’s whip snake or slender whip snake; Telescopus fallax, commonly known as the European cat snake and a venomous rear-fanged species found throughout Southeastern Europe and Western asia; and Zamenis situla, also referred to as the European ratsnake or leopard snake.
The team encountered these colubrids in Kërvenik and Pustenik, where they were captured, photographed, and released back into their natural habitats.
New Colubrid Snake Species Named After Leonardo DiCaprio
Besides Kosovo, Platyceps najadum can also be found in other Balkan countries such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.While there is a reported case of a fatality from a bite by this snake, the researchers believe it is unlikely that the bite was the cause of death as they do not consider this species to be capable of causing life-threatening bites.
The team observed five instances of Telescopus fallax in Kërvenik, where they were found under rocks in dry and stony open areas. This venomous species is also found in other countries including Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Greece,
Italy,
iran,
Iraq,
Israel,
Malta,
Montenegro,
North Macedonia,
Russia,
Serbia,
Slovenia
Syria
and Turkey.
There has been one documented case from a subspecies called Telescopus fallax iberus which caused mild effects but no fatalities.
Zamenis situla was also spotted in Kërvenik on the same day as the other two species. It was seen moving from a forested area to an open and dry stony area. This species can be found in Albania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,bulgaria,Croatia,Cyprus,Greece,Malta,Montenegro,North Macedonia,Serbia,Turkey,and Ukraine.
The discovery of these colubrids brings the total number of snakes found in Kosovo to 12 with 25 reptile species recorded overall. The paper detailing these findings titled “Three new country records of colubrid snakes (Squamata,colubridae) for Republic Of Kosovo” can be accessed on Herpetozoa’s website.
Wow, what an exciting find! Can’t wait to learn more about these newly discovered snakes.