Unusual reptile with ‘blood-red’ eyes turns out to be ‘extremely rare’ find. See it
In the mountains of southeastern China, an unusual reptile with “blood-red” eyes maneuvered through the landscape. Maybe it was searching for a meal or a mate.
But the 1-foot-long creature caught the attention of passing scientists — and turned out to be an “extremely rare” find.
Researchers set out to survey wildlife at a small town in the mountainous Hunan Province, according to a study published Aug. 6 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. They were searching primarily for amphibians and reptiles.
During the surveys, researchers encountered a cream-colored snake, the study said. They captured it and, after taking a closer look, identified the reptile as an albino Achalinus sheni, or Shen’s odd-scale snake.
“Albinism is an uncommon phenomenon” caused by a genetic mutation that results in an organism lacking melanin, researchers said. In reptiles, “albinism is one of the most striking aberrations of body color pattern” and results in red eyes and a yellowish-white body coloring.
“Under artificial conditions, albino reptiles have been well documented,” but “the wild albino phenomenon is usually extremely rare.” This is partially due to albinism being linked to other physical disadvantages.
The albino Shen’s odd-scale snake from Hunan was the “first discovery of wild albinism” for the species, genus and entire family, the study said.
Photos show the first-of-its-kind snake. Overall, the roughly 16-inch-long snake appears creamy pink with some yellow and orange hues. Its underside appears milky white. Researchers described the snake’s eyes as “blood-red.”
Normally, Shen’s odd-scale snakes are uniformly black and “slightly tinged with iridescence,” the study said. Photos show the stark difference between the species’ typical coloring and that of the albino individual.
Unlike other snakes of the same species, the albino snake did not “exhibit a rainbow-colored iridescence” when under light, researchers said. The reason for this is “currently unclear.”
Researchers did not specify where the albino snake was found, but Shen’s odd-scale snakes generally prefer “to hide under rocks, decaying wood, or fallen leaves.” Occasionally, the species is “found on cement roads in the mountains after rain or on high-humidity nights.”
Hunan Province is in southeastern China and a roughly 1,000-mile drive south from Beijing.
The research team included Yu-Hao Xu, Shuai Wang, Shun Ma, Frank Burbrink, Li-Fang Peng and Song Huang.
