A new species of snake discovered in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra has been named after the younger son of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
Tejas Thackeray made immense contribution to the find, and hence the newly found species has been named Thackerays cat snake (scientific name Boiga thackerayi).
Today’s Rate
Thursday 21 Nov. 2024
The new species was found in the Koyna region of Satara district in western Maharashtra. Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation Director Varad Giri said the species fell in the category called cat snakes and belonged to the genus Boiga.
Snakes belonging to this genus are distributed across India, but a few species are endemic to the Western Ghats, he said, adding that a research paper describing the new species was published in the Bombay Natural History Society journal.
Tejas Thackeray had spotted this species for the first time in 2015 and studied its behaviour. He presented these details to the Foundation for Biodiversity Conservation and helped us with further research, said Giri.
Tejas Thackerays elder brother and Shiv Sena youth wing chief Aaditya Thackeray posted a picture of the snake on Twitter. My brother, Tejas discovered this beautiful species of the snake in the Western Ghats! Hence the name, he tweeted.
