Found a new species of snake with blade-shaped fangs, climbing steep cliffs in Thailand

A new, previously unknown species of snake has just been discovered in a cave in Thailand .

During an expedition to the rocky mountains on the border of Trang and Satun provinces (southern Thailand) to search for specimens of the recently discovered green snake Trimeresurus ciliaris, two herpetologists Harry Ward-Smith and Rupert Grassby-Lewis accidentally found a strange snake. 

New snake species discovered in Thailand - (Photo: Harry Ward-Smith).

This snake has "knife-like" upper molars (fangs) and a sturdy layer of horny scales on its abdomen, helping it "climb steep cliffs".

Evolutionary biologists said the creature's two "extended blade-shaped upper molars" and sturdy abdominal scales provided "strong evidence" that it was a completely new species.

"They are especially adapted to life in this harsh environment ," Harry Ward-Smith shared and named the new snake "Kukri Snake" or Oligodon speleoserpens.

For more information, Grassby-Lewis, a herpetologist and tour guide, said that Kukri snakes live in and around caves on steep , light to medium brown limestone cliffs . scales have black borders. They mainly eat the eggs of two local gecko species, Cnemaspis and Cyrtodactylus .

Herpetologists from Moscow State University (Russia) and the University of Michigan (USA), who assisted two young researchers in publishing their new discovery, said that many specimens of This snake can hide deep in underground caves in the mountains.

Three specimens of a new snake species were obtained - (Photo: Harry Ward-Smith).

The new species of snake has "blade-like" fangs, and ridged or "horned" scales on the underside - (Photo: Harry Ward-Smith)

"We need additional observations of the snake Oligodon speleoserpens ," the scientists wrote in their paper in the journal Vertebrate Zoology.