Researchers decided to name a new species of snake after a historic “Harry Potter” character, who also has ties to snakes and one of the Hogwarts houses.
The researchers discovered a new species of green pit viper, as chronicled in the Journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. So they decided to name the new species after Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Slytherin founded the school alongside Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. Slytherin is often considered a villainous house of the Hogwarts locations.
The character Slytherin talked to snakes in the fictional “Harry Potter” world. A snake is the symbol of his Hogwarts house, too.
So, knowing this, researchers deemed the new snake the Trimeresurus salazar.
According the journal’s publisher Pensoft, “the new green pit viper demonstrates a unique orange to reddish stripe, present on the head and body in males.”
The species is a pit viper, which is a venomous species commonly found throughout Asia, according to CNN. This specific species was discovered in India. There are more than 48 versions of this viper in that area of the world alone.
Lead author Zeeshan Mirza of the National Centre for Biological Sciences in India said: “Future dedicated surveys conducted across northeastern India will help document biodiversity, which is under threat from numerous development activities that include road widening, agriculture, and hydro-electric projects.”