Alongside a mountain road in northern Venezuela, a venomous creature tucked up its 1-foot-long body and hid under a rock to wait for nightfall. The lurking animal caught the attention of passing scientists -- and for good reason.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers hiked into the Andes mountains of northwestern Venezuela several times in 2021 to search for reptiles, according to a study published March 14 in the peer-reviewed journal Academia Biology.
During their surveys, the team found several unfamiliar-looking snakes. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, tested their DNA and soon realized they'd discovered a new species: Tantilla palamala, or the open-winged centipede snake.
Open-winged centipede snakes can reach over 13 inches in length, the study said. They have "golden brown" eyes, yellow bellies and a "well-defined black neckband."
Photos show the "ashy brown" coloring of the new species.
Like other centipede snakes, the new species is venomous but "so far there are no reports of accidents, probably because it is a cryptic snake with a docile nature," study co-author Luis Esqueda told McClatchy News via email.
The new species is largely nocturnal, hides under rocks or logs, and has a specialized diet of centipedes, Esqueda said. The snakes were found in mountain forests along roads, near farms and other human-modified areas.
Researchers said they named the new species "palamala" after the Latin words for "openly" and "wing" because the scales on its snout meet at a wide angle and look "similar to gull wings."
So far, open-winged centipede snakes have only been found at a few locations in the neighboring states of Trujillo and Mérida, the study said. These sites are in northwestern Venezuela and a roughly 350-mile drive southwest from Caracas, the capital city.
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, coloring, genitalia and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 13% genetic divergence from other related snake species.
The research team included Esqueda, Fernando Rojas-Runjaic, Claudio Correa, Juan Carlos Ortiz, Pablo Guerrero, Juan David Jiménez-Bolaños, Santos Bazó, Pablo Athenogoras Moreno-Pérez, Melanio Aguilar and Félix Urra.