Snail-Eating Snake Named For Leonardo DiCaprio

Live Science

Five previously unknown tree-dwelling snake species, including one named in honor of Leonardo DiCaprio's mother, were found in the jungles Central and South America.  Credit: Alejandro Arteaga

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00:00Five new tree-dwelling snake species have been discovered in the jungles of Ecuador,

00:12Colombia and Panama. Leonardo DiCaprio, Brian Sheath and Nature and Culture International

00:18named three of the new species in honor of loved ones while raising awareness about the issue of

00:24rainforest destruction due to gold mining. Gold mining in Latin America has exploded.

00:30Vast areas of previously untouched rainforests are currently being transformed into open pit mines,

00:37a barren landscape into which tree-dwelling snakes cannot survive.

00:44One of the snakes is the DiCaprio snail-eating snake, named after Leonardo DiCaprio's mother.

00:50It is an extremely rare species that occurs in the largely unexplored Chocodaringa.

00:57The second species is the Marley snail-eating snake, named after conservationist Brian Sheath's daughter.

01:04This reptile has a unique Christmas coloration and so far has only been found in undisturbed

01:10finery rainforest. The third is the Welborn snail-eating snake, named after David Welborn,

01:16former member of the Board of Nature and Culture International. Sadly, this new serpent is declining

01:23rapidly due to massive gold mining operations in the previously pristine Cordillera del Condor.

01:30The canopy snail-eating snake and the vieira snail-eating snake are also declining due to

01:35rainforest destruction in general, but not as fast as the other three species. Fortunately, three NGOs in

01:42Ecuador and Panama have already made their mission to save the snake's habitat from the emerging gold mining

01:48frenzy. Supporting these organizations is vital because their quest for immediate land protection is

01:54the only way to save the snakes from extinction.

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