Salazar Slytherin: New species of snake discovered in India named after Harry Potter character
A snake of green pit viper species discovered by a team of researchers from India has been named after the character Salazar Slytherin from JK Rowling's Harry Potter movies series, CNN has reported. The finding was chronicled in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
For the uninitiated, Salazar Slytherin founded the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, along with his pals Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff.
The character Slytherin had the ability to talk to snakes in the fictional Harry Potter world. The school dedicated a house to his name. A snake was the symbol of his Hogwarts house.
So, knowing this, the researchers suggest the newly-discovered species of the snake commonly be known as Salazar's pit viper, said the report.
The pit vipers in the genus Trimeresurus is a venomous species commonly found in East and Southeast Asia, according to the report. This specific species was discovered in India. There are more than 48 versions of this viper in that area of the world alone.
The uniqueness of pit viper is the orange-reddish stripe found on the side of the head in males, the report suggested.