According to recent news, a new species was discovered in Papua New Guinea. An enormous beast patrolled a mining site on a small island in Papua New Guinea, its dark eyes scanning the surroundings. It was not without reason that passing scientists were intrigued by the matted beast. As part of a wider trip to examine the local reptile species, Fred Kraus came to Misima Island. His research focused on a group of snakes that live in trees and have a historically “confusing” classification system, according to a report published on April 4 in the journal Zootaxa.
One of the new species discovered by miners is a big, black-eyed beast
Kraus discovered several “large” snakes with white chins while there, according to the study. The atra tree snake, or Dendrelaphis atra, is a new species that he identified after closely examining the creatures and comparing them to other known species. According to the study, atra tree snakes are large, measuring about 4 feet and 1 inch in length. Their skin tone is “matte black,” and their eyes are black. A shot shows the new species’ coloring. Kraus said that because of its coloring, he named the new species atra, which in other words means black.
Kraus noted that the color of the atra tree snake darkens with age, in contrast to other related species. Larger, older snakes were consistently black, whereas smaller, younger snakes were “gray brown.” Every year, thousands of new species are discovered. These are three of our most striking stories from the past few months. It is important to note that atra tree snakes were discovered on a rainforest ridge, in gardens and villages, and at a mine site with extensively damaged human-modified habitats, even next to a structure, Kraus said. A new snake species has been discovered on Misima Island off the southeast coast of Papua New Guinea, as described in a 2020 TVWAN Online YouTube video. The species was identified by its genitalia, size, color, and scale pattern. Kraus also discovered three additional snake species on Woodlark Island, Sudest Island, and Rossel Island.
Another new species was found in Thailand
In 2019, botanist Andrea Bianchi discovered Tessmannia princeps in two small village forest reserves in the Udzungwa Mountains, along with local plant experts Aloyce Mwakisoma and his brother Ruben. The Mwakisoma brothers were the first to encounter such a tree. Furthermore, Bianchi and his friends discovered around 100 mature T. princeps trees in Boma la Mzinga and Uluti Village Land Forest Reserves, claiming their small population and limited range are at risk of extinction due to their potential 3,000-year age.
The tree’s name, princeps, comes from the Latin word for “most eminent,” referring to its crowns that emerge above the forest canopy as it grows up to 40 meters and is supported by massive buttress roots. Furthermore, there are additional trees in the Tessmannia genus that are more commonly found in the rainforests of West Africa. To determine the wood density, the team collected samples from a single tree that had fallen naturally. Bianchi found 12–15 rings in a single centimeter of wood that had been removed from its core. It can take up to 15 years for trees to grow one centimeter in circumference, as they typically deposit rings once a year. To get a more precise estimate of their age using radiocarbon dating, the team intends to remove a core sample from one of the living trees.
Amphibians and plants are among the many species found in the Udzungwa Mountains, the largest massif in the Eastern Arc Mountain chain, that are exclusive to particular regions, like a single valley or forest patch. Tessmannia trees might be rare because they have unique requirements that aren’t met anywhere else besides the Mngeta Valley in Udzungwa. Thankfully, the two village land forest reserves are part of the Udzungwa Corridor, a 75-square-kilometer tract of former farmland that is being restored and protected by the private enterprise Udzungwa Corridor Limited in partnership with local landowners.
