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New snake species named after Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash; here’s why scientists chose him

CurrentIndia.com
By CurrentIndia.com

A ew s ake species discove ed i the ju gle has bee amed afte Gu s N’ Roses guita ist Slash; he e’s why scie tists chose the ock sta ’s ame


A
ew
s ake
species
discove ed
i
the
ju gle
has
bee
amed
afte
Gu s
N’
Roses
guita ist
Slash
(Image
c edit:
Ch is
Austi
via
Field
Museum)

A
ewly
desc ibed
s ake
f om
the
fo ests
of
New
Gui ea
has
bee
give
a
ame
familia
to
ock
fa s
a ou d
the
wo ld.
Scie tists
have
amed
the
o -ve omous
species
Lielaphis
slashi,
o
Slash’s
g ou ds ake,
afte
Gu s
N’
Roses
guita ist
Slash,
whose
eal
ame
is
Saul
Hudso .
Acco di g
to
the
Field
Museum,
which
a ou ced
the
species’
desc iptio ,
the
ame
was
i spi ed
by
the
guita ist’s
lo g-sta di g
i te est
i
s akes,
eptiles
a d
atu al
histo y.
The
small
g ou d-dwelli g
s ake
was
fi st
e cou te ed
du i g
fieldwo k
i
New
Gui ea
yea s
befo e
esea che s
fo mally
established
that
it
ep ese ted
a
p eviously
u k ow
species,
addi g
a othe
u usual
discove y
to
the
isla d’s
ich
biodive sity.

Why
Slash
was
chose

The
decisio
to
ame
the
s ake
afte
Slash
has
a
pe so al
co ectio
to
Sa a
Rua e,
a
associate
cu ato
of
he petology
at
Chicago’s
Field
Museum
a d
se io
autho
of
the
study
desc ibi g
the
species.
Acco di g
to
Rua e,
she
became
i te ested
i
both
eptiles
a d
Gu s
N’
Roses
whe
she
was
you g.
She
told
Popula
Scie ce
that
the
ba d
had
bee
o e
of
he
favou ites
si ce
childhood
a d
that
she
had
decided
by
a ou d
fifth
g ade
that
she
wa ted
to
become
a
he petologist,
a
scie tist
who
studies
eptiles
a d
amphibia s.

The
co ectio
became
st o ge
whe
Rua e
was
12.
She
eceived
a
issue
of
Reptiles
Magazi e
featu i g
Slash
holdi g
his
pet
eticulated
pytho
o
the
cove .
Acco di g
to
Rua e,
she
late
ead
the
accompa yi g
i te view,
i
which
the
guita ist
discussed
his
i te est
i
museums,
zoos,
atu al
histo y
a d
sea chi g
fo
s akes
as
a
child.Those
details
made
Slash
a
atu al
choice
whe
Rua e
a d
he
colleagues
eeded
a
ame
fo
the
ewly
ecog ised
species.
She
told
Popula
Scie ce
that
his
i te est
i
eptiles
made
the
t ibute
pa ticula ly
fitti g.
Slash
welcomed
the
ho ou .
I
a
stateme t
epo ted
by
the
Field
Museum,
the
guita ist
said
he
was
“ext emely
ho ou ed
a d
humbled”
to
have
a
s ake
f om
New
Gui ea
amed
afte
him.
The
ame
also
has
a
co ectio
to
Slash’s
music
ca ee .
I
1994,
he
fo med
the
ock
ba d
Slash’s
S akepit,
givi g
him
a othe
lo gsta di g
associatio
with
s akes.

Slash a d Sa a Rua e at the Field Museum<b >” msid=”133420010″ imgsize=”1868812″ esizemode=”4″ width=”” title=”Slash a d Sa a Rua e at the Field Museum (Image C edit: Sa a Rua e via Popula Scie ce)” placeholde s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” offsetve tical=”0″ placeholde msid=”47529300″ type=”thumb” s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/83033472.cms” class=”” data-s c=”https://static.toiimg.com/photo/imgsize-1868812,msid-133420010/slash-a d-sa a- ua e-at-the-field-museumb .jpg” data-api-p e e de =”t ue”/></p> <p> Slash<br /> a d<br /> Sa a<br /> Rua e<br /> at<br /> the<br /> Field<br /> Museum<br /> (Image<br /> C edit:<br /> Sa a<br /> Rua e<br /> via<br /> Popula<br /> Scie ce)</p> </div> </div> <p><h3> A<br /> small<br /> s ake<br /> f om<br /> New<br /> Gui ea</h3> </p> <p>The<br /> ewly<br /> desc ibed<br /> s ake<br /> comes<br /> f om<br /> New<br /> Gui ea,<br /> a<br /> la ge<br /> isla d<br /> o th<br /> of<br /> Aust alia<br /> that<br /> is<br /> divided<br /> betwee<br /> I do esia<br /> a d<br /> Papua<br /> New<br /> Gui ea.<br /> Acco di g<br /> to<br /> the<br /> Field<br /> Museum,<br /> Lielaphis<br /> slashi<br /> is<br /> about<br /> 28<br /> i ches<br /> lo g<br /> a d<br /> has<br /> a<br /> eddish-b ow<br /> appea a ce.<br /> It<br /> is<br /> o -ve omous.Scie tists<br /> fi st<br /> e cou te ed<br /> the<br /> s ake<br /> yea s<br /> befo e<br /> fo mally<br /> ecog isi g<br /> it<br /> as<br /> a<br /> ew<br /> species.<br /> Acco di g<br /> to<br /> the<br /> Field<br /> Museum,<br /> Louisia a<br /> State<br /> U ive sity<br /> he petologist<br /> Ch is<br /> Austi<br /> fi st<br /> e cou te ed<br /> the<br /> u familia<br /> s ake<br /> du i g<br /> ighttime<br /> fieldwo k<br /> i<br /> New<br /> Gui ea<br /> i<br /> 2006.Austi<br /> explai ed<br /> that<br /> New<br /> Gui ea<br /> g ou ds akes<br /> a e<br /> octu al<br /> a d<br /> a e<br /> ofte<br /> fou d<br /> sho tly<br /> afte<br /> su set<br /> a ou d<br /> the<br /> bases<br /> of<br /> la ge<br /> t ees<br /> while<br /> sea chi g<br /> fo<br /> food.<br /> He<br /> also<br /> oted<br /> that<br /> esea che s<br /> wo ki g<br /> at<br /> ight<br /> eed<br /> to<br /> be<br /> cautious<br /> because<br /> some<br /> ve omous<br /> s akes<br /> i<br /> the<br /> egio<br /> ca<br /> esemble<br /> ha mless<br /> g ou ds akes.</p> <p><h3> How<br /> scie tists<br /> ide tified<br /> it</h3> </p> <p>Fi di g<br /> a<br /> u familia<br /> s ake<br /> did<br /> ot<br /> immediately<br /> p ove<br /> that<br /> it<br /> was<br /> a<br /> ew<br /> species.<br /> Resea che s<br /> eeded<br /> to<br /> compa e<br /> it<br /> with<br /> elated<br /> s akes<br /> usi g<br /> seve al<br /> li es<br /> of<br /> evide ce.<br /> Tia qi<br /> Hua g,<br /> the<br /> study’s<br /> fi st<br /> autho<br /> a d<br /> a<br /> postdocto al<br /> esea che<br /> at<br /> the<br /> Field<br /> Museum,<br /> said<br /> the<br /> esea che s<br /> co ducted<br /> multiple<br /> ge etic<br /> a alyses<br /> a d<br /> fou d<br /> that<br /> L.<br /> slashi<br /> was<br /> ge etically<br /> disti ct<br /> f om<br /> simila<br /> s akes.The<br /> team<br /> also<br /> exami ed<br /> physical<br /> cha acte istics,<br /> i cludi g<br /> diffe e ces<br /> i<br /> scale<br /> cou ts,<br /> a d<br /> used<br /> ecological<br /> modelli g<br /> to<br /> study<br /> its<br /> habitat.<br /> Acco di g<br /> to<br /> Hua g,<br /> the<br /> combi ed<br /> ge etic,<br /> physical,<br /> a d<br /> ecological<br /> evide ce<br /> showed<br /> that<br /> the<br /> s ake<br /> ep ese ted<br /> a<br /> p eviously<br /> u ecog ised<br /> species.<br /> This<br /> combi atio<br /> of<br /> evide ce<br /> is<br /> impo ta t<br /> i<br /> taxo omy.<br /> A<br /> s ake<br /> that<br /> looks<br /> diffe e t<br /> f om<br /> a<br /> k ow<br /> species<br /> is<br /> ot<br /> automatically<br /> co side ed<br /> a<br /> ew<br /> species;<br /> esea che s<br /> must<br /> establish<br /> that<br /> it<br /> is<br /> sufficie tly<br /> disti ct<br /> f om<br /> species<br /> al eady<br /> docume ted.</p> <p><h3> What<br /> does<br /> it<br /> eat?</h3> </p> <p>Scie tists<br /> still<br /> have<br /> much<br /> to<br /> lea<br /> about<br /> Slash’s<br /> g ou ds ake<br /> a d<br /> its<br /> behaviou<br /> i<br /> the<br /> wild.<br /> Rua e<br /> told<br /> the<br /> Field<br /> Museum<br /> that<br /> s akes<br /> i<br /> this<br /> ge us<br /> have<br /> elatively<br /> la ge<br /> teeth<br /> towa d<br /> the<br /> back<br /> of<br /> thei<br /> mouths.<br /> Based<br /> o<br /> thei<br /> a atomy,<br /> esea che s<br /> believe<br /> New<br /> Gui ea<br /> g ou ds akes<br /> may<br /> use<br /> those<br /> teeth<br /> to<br /> catch<br /> small,<br /> slippe y-scaled<br /> liza ds<br /> a d<br /> co sume<br /> eptile<br /> eggs.<br /> U like<br /> boas,<br /> these<br /> g ou ds akes<br /> a e<br /> ot<br /> thought<br /> to<br /> subdue<br /> thei<br /> p ey<br /> usi g<br /> co st ictio .</p> <p><h3> Why<br /> the<br /> discove y<br /> matte s</h3> </p> <p>The<br /> u usual<br /> ame<br /> has<br /> att acted<br /> atte tio ,<br /> but<br /> the<br /> discove y<br /> also<br /> highlights<br /> New<br /> Gui ea’s<br /> biodive sity<br /> a d<br /> the<br /> challe ges<br /> faci g<br /> its<br /> fo ests.<br /> The<br /> habitat<br /> whe e<br /> the<br /> s ake<br /> occu s<br /> faces<br /> p essu e<br /> f om<br /> activities<br /> i cludi g<br /> coffee<br /> fa mi g<br /> a d<br /> mi i g.<br /> Rua e<br /> said<br /> fo mally<br /> docume ti g<br /> species<br /> is<br /> impo ta t<br /> fo<br /> co se vatio<br /> because<br /> scie tists<br /> ca ot<br /> p otect<br /> o<br /> study<br /> o ga isms<br /> they<br /> do<br /> ot<br /> yet<br /> k ow<br /> exist.Fo<br /> Slash,<br /> the<br /> discove y<br /> offe s<br /> a<br /> u expected<br /> scie tific<br /> ho ou .<br /> Fo<br /> Rua e,<br /> it<br /> b i gs<br /> togethe<br /> two<br /> i te ests<br /> that<br /> bega<br /> i<br /> childhood:<br /> eptiles<br /> a d<br /> ock<br /> music.<br /> A<br /> magazi e<br /> cove<br /> showi g<br /> a<br /> famous<br /> guita ist<br /> with<br /> his<br /> pet<br /> s ake<br /> ultimately<br /> became<br /> pa t<br /> of<br /> the<br /> i spi atio<br /> fo<br /> a<br /> scie tific<br /> ame.<br /> Today,<br /> Lielaphis<br /> slashi<br /> ca ies<br /> that<br /> co ectio<br /> i to<br /> the<br /> scie tific<br /> eco d,<br /> li ki g<br /> a<br /> ewly<br /> ecog ised<br /> species<br /> f om<br /> New<br /> Gui ea<br /> with<br /> o e<br /> of<br /> ock<br /> music’s<br /> most<br /> ecog isable<br /> figu es.<br /> <a h ef=Go to Sou ce

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