Cambodia is home to 99 species of snake, including 16 which are venomous, according to the Terrestrial Research and Conservation Group, which studies reptiles in Cambodia.
Neang Thy, head of the group, told The Post that the researchers are part of international organisation Wildlife Alliance, which collaborates with the Ministry of Environment.
“Our team conducts research on biodiversity in Cambodia. We have identified 99 species of terrestrial snakes, not including sea snakes. 16 of them are venomous and 83 are not,” he said.
“Interestingly, we also discovered two new species of snake,” he added.
He described the deadliest of the Kingdom’s scaled creatures.
“The King cobra is the largest, longest, fastest and most venomous snake in the world, and can measure up to six metres in length,” he said.
“Its hunts mice and frogs, but it specialises in other species of snake, so it is sometimes known as the ‘snake-eating snake’,” he added.
He noted that the Indochinese Spitting cobra, monocellate cobra, black-yellow banded krait, black-white banded krait, Malayan pit viper and Siamese pit viper round out the deadliest of the Kingdom’s venomous snakes.
The remaining species are the mountain pit viper, pink-tailed pit viper, red-eyed pit viper, Cardamom green pit viper, large-eyed pit viper, white-lipped pit viper, small spotted coral snake, MacClelland’s coral snake and the red-necked keelback.
Thy also shared the details of the two new species: the Cambodian kukri (Oligodon kampucheaensis) and the Zoos Victoria wolf snake (lycodon zoosvictoriae).
“The kukri has a red and pink striped body and is non-venomous, although its teeth are harder than other snakes and razor-sharp. It eats insects and frogs as well as the eggs of frogs and toads. It was first identified in 2012,” he said.
He also told The Post about the newly identified species of wolf snake.
“The Zoos Victoria is a species of wolf snake that I discovered and named in 2014. It is also non-venomous, with a light brown body and a dark brown head. I found it in the Cardamom Mountains,” he said.
Thy named the snake after the Australian conservation organisation, which funded the research that led to its discovery.
The experienced herpetologist also wanted to clear up a common myth about an imaginary species that he had heard people claim was real: the hoop snake.
The hoop snake is described as biting its own tail to form a large circle and then rolling like a hoop, hence the name. They commonly appear in the folklore of North America and Australia, but Thy was disappointed that such an unlikely creature still captures the imagination of people who should know better.
“There is no such snake in the world. I always hear people talking about the hoop snake, from one generation to another,” he said.
“When asked if they have seen one, nobody has. I have spent years researching snakes and there are no documented cases anywhere in the world of the hoop snake,” he added.
Aside from wanting to dispel myths about the Kingdom’s serpents, Thy also wanted to educate people about the vital role that snakes play in the ecosystem.
He explained that are an integral part of the biosphere and help to maintain a good ecological balance.
Cambodia is recognized as a country rich in biodiversity, with 6,149 species recorded so far. This biodiversity is likely to increase, as new species are continually discovered.