Strange New Snake Species Dubbed Primitive 'Relic of Time'

A strange new dwarf snake species discovered in the tropics of Ecuador has been dubbed a "relic of time."

The tiny snake is only about 7.8 inches long and belongs to the Tropidophiidae family, a group of nonvenomous dwarf snakes. The finding means there are now 34 confirmed Tropidophis species.

The rare discovery was made by multi-organization researchers that included Mauricio Ortega Andrade, Alexander Bentley, Claudia Koch, Mario Yánez-Muñoz and Omar Entiauspe Neto, Ecuador's Ministry of the Environment said in a press release.

The species is particularly unique because it has a "vestigial pelvis," which means that although it is limbless it still has hip bones. This is a primordial feature found in some snake species and indicates that they evolved from lizards that lost their limbs millions of years ago.

Yánez-Muñoz, who works for the National Biodiversity Institute, told Agence France-Presse the snakes are "a relic of time. They are animals so old that finding or bumping into one of them is a privilege."

Scientists do not know exactly when lizards lost their legs, but the first snake specimen appeared in the fossil record during the Jurassic period, between 143 and 167 million years ago.

Sometime after the extinction of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, reptiles diversified, turning into the modern snakes we know today.

There are now more than 3,000 confirmed species of snake on the planet, with 600 of them venomous. But scientists may not have discovered all of the species, especially those that live in remote areas.

In a new study on the species, researchers confirmed that the boa is likely native to the country, meaning there are now 6 dwarf snakes that are endemic to South America. The boa has been named Tropidophis cacuangoae in honor of Ecuadorian activist Dolores Cacuango.

The study said the new species should be considered a threatened species because of its rarity and limited distribution. Now, researchers will continue studying the species to determine how to carry out conservation efforts.

The boa lives in very rural parts of the Amazon tropical forests, including the eastern tropical foothills and the lower evergreen montane forests, the Ministry of the Environment said.

The dwarf boa resembles the boa constrictor, another much larger snake that also lives in the South American rain forest, in its coloring. Dwarf snakes feast on smaller animals such as rodents and small birds. Boas kill prey by cutting off their blood supply. They do this by coiling around their victim and targeting its circulatory system.

The species discovery emphasizes the need for scientists to carry out more research in remote tropical locations to learn more about their biodiversity.

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