Newly discovered snake is named after Harry Potter's Salazar Slytherin

The real world just became a little more magical.

A brand new species of green pit viper was just discovered in India and it was given a very appropriate, and magical, name. The team who discovered the new snake published there findings in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution which revealed that the new green pit viper would be named Trimeresurus Salazar.

If the second part to that name (the species) sounds familiar it is because the snake is named after the Harry Potter character Salazar Slytherin. In the Harry Potter novels, Salazar Slytherin is one of the four founders of the wizarding school Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As one of of the school founders there was a "school house" named after him, Slytherin. The character of Salazar Slytherin was also famously known to be able to talk to snakes and thus the snake became the symbol of the Slytherin House.

It is suggested that Trimeresurus Salazar be commonly known as "Salazar's Pit Viper". This new species which was discovered in India can be found throughout East and Southeast Asia and are venomous. A defining feature of this pit viper that makes it stand out among the 48 species in the Trimeresurus genus is the orange-reddish stripe that runs down the side of the head in males.

The news of a newly discovered species of an animal is extremely exciting. Then to top it off by naming it after a character from the Harry Potter series is just incredible.

What do you think about the newly discovered snake and it's famous name?

----------
You can also follow Realm Beyond Sight on Facebook and Twitter - RealmBeyondS for the latest news and fun conversations!

Source: CNN