A team of researchers from India have discovered a new species of green pit vipers. These venomous snakes are found throughout East and Southeast Asia, reports CNN.
The team of researchers may have been Harry Potter fans, which is probably why they have decided to name this particular species of snakes after Salazar Slytherin – one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
For those who do not know, Salazar Slytherin, alongside Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff, founded Hogwarts and had 4 houses named after them.
The Slytherin house symbol is that of a serpent which is probably linked to Salazar Slytherin’s ability to speak to snakes – a quality which Harry Potter also possessed.
The new species of the green pit vipers look similar to the Slytherin house symbol and hence, it has been named Trimeresurus Salazar.
How can I become friends with these Potterhead herpetologists who discovered a new snake in Arunachal Pradesh & called it Salazar Slytherin? (They WOULD'VE called it Nagini but they're saving that name for a cobra species.) https://t.co/zy4N2J3mOr
— Meenakshi Reddy Madhavan (@reddymadhavan) April 19, 2020
My brothers and sisters, it is all happening. A new snake species has been named after our House founder Salazar!https://t.co/CUFLbYnotk
— Dr. David Shiffman (@WhySharksMatter) April 22, 2020
According to Daily Mail, the team of researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences and Bombay Natural History Society found the snake in Arunachal Pradesh.
Salazar Slytherin would have been so proud!