A bejeweled lanceheaded pit viper

A new pitviper emblazoned with an ornate yellow, red and orange pattern, at first glance looks like a carefully crafted piece of jewellery. Despite its’ dazzling appearance, this bejeweled reptile has only been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas in the past few years. The Himalayan lanceheaded pit viper (Protobothrops himalayansus) as it has been named is believed to be a new addition to the Asian pitviper genus Trimeresurus36. This group of snakes predominately inhabit trees and have prehensile tails. Their diet includes rodents, lizards, amphibians and birds, but some have been observed feasting on fellow pitvipers.