There's A New Snake Species And Here's Where You Can Find It

Those who love snakes are in for a Christmas treat.

Scientists have now discovered a new snake species called “Levitonius mirus” that can be found in the Philippines.

The Levitonius mirus was actually found in field missions between the years of 2006 and 2012 but had been overlooked all these years.

A graduate research assistant from the University of Kansas’ Biodiversity Institute, Jeff Weinell, discovered the new species while trying to learn about another snake, the Pseudorabdion.

"I sequenced DNA from a bunch of specimens of that group, and this one was actually misidentified as belonging to (Pseudorabdion). When I got the DNA results back, at first I thought it was just an error on my part, or contamination from the samples,” Weinell told CNN.

There were three of these specimens that he found and they’re the only known members of this snake genus, according to CNN.

This specific snake is unique in its bone structure because it has the “fewest number of vertebrae” in the entire snake species. The study explains that its skull is more narrow and its scales are very colorful and iridescent.

The Levitonius mirus is also no larger than a pencil, coming in at nearly seven inches, and it’s thought not to be venomous thus far.

While there’s still much to be learned about this new species, it’s known that they’re burrowers and live underground, which is why these species have never been photographed in their natural habitat.

The research assistant made sure to explain that the U.S. and the Philippines scientists are working closely together to understand the species and other species in the region.

The study was published on Wednesday, Dec. 23.