fbpx
Daily Current Affairs for UPSC

A new dwarf boa species

Topic- Environment and Ecology [GS Paper-3]

Context- Scientists have recently discovered a new species of dwarf boa in the Ecuadoran Amazon and it was named after an Indigenous activist.

Key Highlights 

  • The dwarf boa snake from the Tropidophiidae family was found in the cloud forest in northeastern Ecuador and was up to 20 centimetres long. 
  • Tropidophis cacuangoae can be identified from other reptiles in the same genus based on its unique external features and bone structure.
  • The scientists found two verified specimens of this species. 
  • The colouring of the species is primarily light brown with darker brown or black blotches i.e. similar to a boa constrictor. 
  • The species inhabits eastern tropical piedmont and lower evergreen montane forests particularly in the Amazon tropical rainforest biome and the researchers suspect it to be an Ecuadorian endemic. 
  • The species is unusual for having a “vestigial pelvis”, which is a prominent characteristic of primitive snakes. 
  • It could be evidence that snakes descended from lizards that lost their limbs over millions of years. 

History of naming: 

  • The name of the snake honours Dolores Cacuango, an early 20th-century pioneer in the fight for indigenous and farmers’ rights in Ecuador.

Significance of the discovery 

  • The discovery of T cacuango states that small and cryptic vertebrates can undergo large periods of time without being detected and formally described by science.
  • The discovery of this new species highlights a critical need to accelerate research in remote areas where information gaps remain but these are suspected of harbouring high biodiversity and are severely threatened by human impacts.
image_pdfDownload as PDF
Alt Text

Related Articles

Back to top button
Shopping cart0
There are no products in the cart!
0