'Mystery Dinner Snake' Found in Belly of Another Snake Finally Identified

[Judi Lynn]

By Mindy Weisberger, Senior Writer | January 23, 2019 02:18pm ET

Back in the 1970s, a snake was found inside the stomach of another snake. That's not especially unusual; what was surprising was that the swallowed snake turned out to be a species that was unknown to science. And it remained that way for more than 40 years.

However, the animal's long wait in species limbo is finally over.

Researchers recently revealed that not only is the snake a new species; it also represents a new genus. And the name they gave it, Cenaspis aenigma, is a whimsical nod to where the snake was found, translating from Latin as "mysterious dinner." [Photos: This Python Chowed Down on 3 Deer]

The presumably delicious snake, an adult male, measured about 10 inches (26 centimeters) in length. It belongs to the snake family Colubridae, which includes hundreds of species — about 51 percent of all known snake species.

More:
https://www.livescience.com/64569-snake-inside-snake-new-species.html?utm_source=notification



Maybe the tiny snake awakened in a world
where critters don't munch other critters,
and eat them all gone. Can only hope!

[BigmanPigman]

1. Interesting!