Chameleon snake

Started by Devious Viper, June 29, 2006, 06:26:06 AM

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June 29, 2006, 06:26:06 AM Last Edit: June 29, 2006, 06:29:07 AM by Devious Viper
A snake with the ability to change its colour has been found in the rainforested heart of Borneo. Researchers from Germany and the US discovered the water snake's chameleon-like behaviour by accident when they put it into a dark bucket.

The environmental group WWF, which supports conservation work in Borneo, says wildlife in the region is threatened by deforestation. It believes the newly described snake may exist only in one river basin. Found in the Kapuas river in the Betung Kerihun National Park in Kalimantan (the Indonesian portion of Borneo), it belongs to the Enhydris genus of rear-fanged water snakes and has been named E. gyii. It is about 50cm (18 inches) long, and venomous.

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The new species was described by Mark Auliya from the Zoologisches Forschungsmuseum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, and John Murphy and Harold Voris from the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. It was Dr Auliya, a consultant for WWF, who discovered serendipitously its colour-changing capacity. "I put the reddish-brown snake in a dark bucket," he said. "When I retrieved it a few minutes later, it was almost entirely white."

The reasons why it has evolved this attribute are unclear. The chameleon, possibly the animal kingdom's most famous colour-changer, is believed to alter its hue depending on mood and temperature.

In the last 10 years, more than 350 new animal and plant species have been discovered on Borneo. "The discovery of the 'chameleon' snake exposes one of nature's best kept secrets deep in the heart of Borneo," said Stuart Chapman, WWF's international coordinator for the island. The environmental group warns that the home of the new snake is threatened, as Borneo's forest cover has declined from 75% in the mid-1980s to about 50% today.
June 29, 2006, 02:42:06 PM #1
I'm supprised there aren't more animals with that trait.  Some lizards, a few sea creatures and now a snake.  It is an amazing attribute, truely amazing.  The cuttlefish is the most complex of the color changers.  They change their colors so fast that they kinda hypnotize their prey!  That's awesome.

Good find DV
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June 30, 2006, 12:47:46 PM #2
Quote from: Zak Roy Yoballa on June 29, 2006, 02:42:06 PM
They change their colors so fast that they kinda hypnotize their prey!  That's awesome.

Awesome until YOU see it and it bites off your leg.
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July 07, 2006, 07:00:52 PM #3
Heh, won't be wallowing in swamp in rainforrest now.  :lol:
July 30, 2008, 01:42:03 PM #4
Phantom, cuttlefish aren't big enough to cause harm to humans even if they had the needed teeth.
July 30, 2008, 02:58:06 PM #5
Tell that to the Colossus Squid. It's in the same family group & even bigger than the Giant Squid that starred in all the Hollywood horror movies. But you're right, Countess. The individual Scuttle fish is too small to be anything other than a cute attraction. :-D
October 10, 2024, 05:41:30 PM #6
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