‘Long and thin’ creatures ‘perched’ in trees near China canyon are new species
Originating in the Tibetan Plateau, the Nujiang River snakes its way through southern China and eventually flows into Myanmar.
Over time, the powerful current carved out massive gorges and canyons, including the Grand Canyon of the Nujiang.
It was here, “perched” high in the branches of trees along the edge of the canyon at night, where researchers encountered 11 “cryptic” snakes, according to a study published Sept. 2 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
Trimeresurus nujiang, also known as the Nujiang green pit-viper, is a new arboreal, or tree-dwelling, snake species known only from the high-altitude evergreen forests that border the canyon in Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, according to the study.
It is the newest member of a seven-species subgenus called Viridovipera, defined by their tree-dwelling lifestyle and virbrant green color, according to researchers.
There are “minimal discernible differences among them, thus posing challenges,” when it comes to identification in the wild, the study said.
With careful inspection, differences in head size, body size, eye color and scale counts can help distinguish the species, according to the study.
The Nujiang green pit-viper has a “long and thin” cylindrical body. The first and largest specimen collected measured 31.6 inches long, according to the study.
It is described as having a long and “triangular” head that is distinct from its neck and “large” eyes with “vertically elliptic” pupils.
Males of the new species were mostly “olive drab” on top with a white and “dark red” stripe down the sides of their bodies, while females were “grass green” with a white stripe, according to the study.
Both males and females have “yellowish-green” bellies and “golden-yellow” irises.
The tips of their tails range from “reddish-brown” to “dark brown,” researchers said.
Given the Nujiang green pit-vipers were found so close to the China-Myanmar border, researchers said they expect the new species to also be present in Myanmar.
The research team included Ya-Ting Liang, Li Ding, Gernot Vogel, Ze-Ning Chen and Zheng-Jun Wu.
This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 12:27 PM with the headline "‘Long and thin’ creatures ‘perched’ in trees near China canyon are new species."
