Researchers identified Dasypeltis albigularis, a new snake species from Ethiopia’s Harenna Forest that feeds exclusively on bird eggs. It swallows eggs whole, then cracks their shells with modified throat vertebrae; the species is harmless to humans.
Published in Herpetozoa, the seven-year investigation combined observation, physical comparisons, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA tests, and hybrid breeding; DNA results showed the snake was a separate species. Researchers initially mistook it for the similar montane egg eater, Dasypeltis atra. A cross with a related species produced hybrid offspring with traits from both parents, an early clue that it was distinct.
The new snake has light skin, sometimes bluish, between its scales, along with a white throat and belly—the feature reflected in its scientific name. It joins a genus with about 20 other species, many difficult to distinguish by appearance.
