Researchers have stumbled upon a venomous new snake species in Asia. Fans in the slithery creatures and pop culture fans alike, however, could find it entertaining that scientists are naming it after an early Chinese tale, "Legend of White Snake."
Biologists formally discovered the species with an analysis of samples collected between 2016 and 2019 in Yingjiang County, Yunnan Province, China. The mysterious krait is called Bungarus SuZhenae, or Suzhen's krait, as soon as the mythical Chinese figure Bai Su Zhen.
Bai Su Zhen is really a legendary snake goddess in ancient Chinese Chinese Culture and he or she has quite the foundation story. Zhen started life as a magical white snake, but after a huge selection of years perfecting her magical craft, she surely could transform herself into a human woman and love a man. Together, the happy couple ran a hospital and saved many lives acting to be a husband and wife medical team. Unfortunately, love between man and snake is forbidden good "world in the gods" and Zhen was eventually punished for my child's love and locked away in a very tower alone for many eternities. Traditionally, Bai Su Zhen stands like a symbol of the love of his life and kind nature.
"The black-and-white banded krait is one with the snakes most just like the white snake in the wild, and then we decided to name it after Bai Su Zhen," study authors write in the media release.
Another incident in 2015 helped bring these findings together. Another black-and-white banded krait bit Chinese herpetologist Mian Hou Yingjiang. Luckily, he survived the encounter. "It hurt about the wound, along with the skin around it turned dark," Hou explains. Following the incident, researchers noticed how strange the bite appeared compared to other snakes in the community. Most local snake bites don't create much pain or any symptoms. That aberration led them to realize they are no ordinary krait snakes.