Posted this on FB but here it goes here:
Scientists discover new
species of 'blind snake' in Brazilian river that looks remarkably
like a piece of the human anatomy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...=feeds-newsxml
Forgive us if this puts you off your dinner because, as snakes go,
this is not much of a charmer.
The unique creature, atretochoana eiselti, was found after
engineers drained a hydroelectric dam which spans a river connected
to the Amazon.
Biologists discovered six of the unusual-looking creatures - each
about a metre long - at the bottom of the river-bed on the Madeira
river in Rondonia, in Brazil.
The creatures were discovered in November, however it took until
today for scientists to correctly classify the snake's genus -
confirming it is a rare creature which has only been spotted
sporadically since first spotted in 1968.
t is actually more closely related to salamanders and frogs, but
appearance-wise looks more like a snake.
Biologist Julian Tupan, who works for Santo Antonio Energy - the
company which constructed the dam - said: 'Of the six we collected,
one died, three were released back into the wild and another two
were kept for studies.
'Despite looking like snakes, they aren’t reptiles and are more
closely related to salamanders and frogs.
Mr Tupan added: 'We think the animal breathes through its skin, and
probably feeds on small fish and worms, but there is still nothing
proven.
'The Amazon is a box of surprises when it comes to reptiles and
amphibians. There are still much more to be
discovered'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...#ixzz22NK6l15l