A Guwahati-based zoologist has found a new species of ‘crying snake’ in Lepa-Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh. The non-venomous crying keelback’s zoological name is Hebius lacrima, The Hindu reported.
The zoologist Jayaditya Purkayastha located this new species in the Basar area of Arunachal Pradesh. The keelback got its name from its physical features. A black spot under its eyes that looks like a tear interrupting a white stripe that runs along the upper jaw to the back of its head and beyond has given the snake its scientific name. ‘Lacrima’ means tear in Latin.
The mark below its eyes give the snake an impression as if it is crying. “The first time I saw the snake in the photo, I noticed it was different. It was not matching with any species I knew. We then studied it: its scale, size etc,” Purkayastha told The Indian Express.