In early July, a global team of scientists not only confirmed the existence of a species first discovered in the 19th century — they also ended a game of hide and seek that had stretched on for 26 years.
Discovered in 1986, the Berezowski’s reed snake was named after Russian zoologist Michael Berezowski — the very man who first captured it.
But apart from word of mouth, there was no verifiable proof that the reptile existed, and doubt began to creep in about Berezowski’s original account.
In fact, the last time that the snake was seen was reportedly 26 years ago, and many scientists felt like it had been misidentified altogether.
During “scientific expeditions in the Gongga Mountains, Luding County, Sichuan Province” of China, a research team did the impossible.
They saw not just one Berezowski’s reed snake, but three.
The team — which includes an array of herpetologists and zoologists from around the world, from Heidelberg, Germany to Guilin, China — published their findings on July 5.
In the study, lead author Ya-Ting Liang and her fellow researchers said that reed snakes, in general, are rarely seen in the wild, due to their “subterranean mode of life, digging behavior and mysterious habits.”
Even when looking at the snake dead on, the end of its body is so blunt that its head and and tail are barely distinguishable from each other — which makes for a good safety mechanism against predators.
And with the foot-long snake's dark brown coloring — save for a slightly yellow “collar” — helps it slither amongst the dirt of the Gongga Mountains without notice.
It’s a wonder that scientists rediscovered it at all.
Why is this good news?
Treasure-hunting hero Indiana Jones is not alone in his fear of snakes.
According to a Gallup poll, 51% of Americans are scared of them. The phobia (ophidiophobia) even beats out public speaking and heights as a top fear.
But at the end of the day, snakes are more important to the environment than some might think.
Snakes are mesopredators, which means they prey on smaller animals — like insects, fish, and rodents — but they also serve as prey themselves for birds of prey and foxes (and sometimes, other snakes).
By residing in the middle of the food web, snakes play a key role in biodiversity and keep the circle of life in balance.
Some snakes, like timber rattlesnakes for instance, also play a surprising role in stopping the spread of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease.
“Timber rattlesnakes are an important part of the ecosystem, and where you have more rattlesnakes, you tend to have lower occurrences of Lyme disease because the snakes are eating things like chipmunks and mice which are the main vectors for the disease,” Christopher Howey, assistant professor of biology at the University of Scranton, told Penn State University.
“Rattlesnake venom is also used in anticoagulants, in blood pressure medicine, and to treat breast cancer,” Howey continued.
“Our research will help us refine how we conserve these important animals.”
So, while news of snakes reemerging in the wild after decades may not be cause for celebration for all readers, it is a win for animal research and healthier biomes throughout southern China.
Header image via Liang, Huang, Ding, Vogel, Ananjeva, Orlov, Shi, Wu and Chen (2024)
