Researchers have discovered a new snake species in the Amazon region of Ecuador. Tropidophis cacuangoae is part of the group known as the pygmy boa. The news was revealed by the specialized journal European Journal of Taxonomy, which called the snake a “Relic of Time” because it had prehistoric characteristics.

A snake was found in the Amazon – Photo: Mauricio Ortega-Andrade/Disclosure/ND

The snake’s name refers to local indigenous leader Dolores Cakuango, who championed women’s and human rights in Ecuador. The snake is the second of its kind found in a forest located in Ecuador and the fifth in mainland South America.

According to the study, the snake was discovered in the province of Napo, in the Colonso Chalupas Biological Reserve, in Ecuador. The second snake of the species is part of the collection of the National Biodiversity Institute (Inabio) in Ecuador.

The discovery was made in collaboration with researchers from Ecuador, Germany and Brazil.

The snake has mostly light brown skin with dark spots. According to the study, it is distinguished by the largest row of teeth in the mouth (from 18 to 21 teeth in the jaw) and the presence of two cervical vertebrae (versus three or more), unlike other members of the genus.

But it was genetic analysis that concluded that T. cacuangoae is a unique species. The researchers classified the snake as a “relic of the times” because they are considered primitive in the history of snakes and have an origin that dates back to the ancestors who gave birth to snakes in the last 50 million years.

Despite its uniqueness, the snake is not venomous. According to the researchers, pygmy boas have no venom and feed on whole prey, such as small lizards, mice and bird eggs. However, boaids, a class of boas and anacondas, can reach 10 meters in length and up to 300 kg.