Skip to Content

New Snake Species Discovered in The Himalayas Was Named After Leonardo Di Caprio

New Snake Species named after Leonardo DiCaprio

Discovering a new species is exciting, but why name a newly discovered snake after Leonardo DiCaprio? Well, it just so happens that Indian scientists after discovering a new snake in the Western Himalaya, decided to name it after the Titanic movie star for his contribution to wildlife conservation. The discovery of the new snake named Anguculus dicaprioi is a significant contribution to biodiversity research, highlighting the untapped potential of the region.

The Discovery of Anguiculus dicaprioi

DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake
DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake. Source: Scientific Reports. Photo: Virender Bharadwaj

The snake was first identified in 2020 by a university student Virender Bhardwaj in the Churah Valley of the Northern state of Himachal Pradesh. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Bhardwaj posted an Instagram photo of the snake, which attracted the attention of herpetologist Zeeshan A. Mirza from the National Centre for Biological Sciences in Bengaluru. After studying additional specimens in 2021, researchers confirmed that the snake was indeed a new species. It was subsequently named Anguiculus dicaprioi in honor of Leonardo DiCaprio for his work in environmental conservation.

How It Was Named

New snake discovery
Anguiculus dicaprioi uncollected individual from Nainital, Uttarakhand. Source; Scientific reports: Photo by Vipul Ramanuj.

Anguiculus dicaprioi belongs to Colubridae, the largest snake family, encompassing 304 genera and 1,938 species, which make up nearly two-thirds of all snakes globally. The genus name, Anguiculus, means “small snake” in Latin, reflecting the smaller size of this species compared to other members of the family. Researchers proposed the English name “Himalayan snake” due to its discovery location in the Western Himalayas. DiCaprio’s contributions to conservation, including funding research and field projects, inspired the common name “DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake.”

Unique Features of the Species

Anguiculus dicaprioi
Anguiculus dicaprioi head scalation. Source: Scientific reports.

The snake has a brown body with a darker brown band on the back of its neck, along with scattered dark brown spots. Its belly is pale, lacking any distinct markings. The snout has an olive hue, which gradually transitions into a brown shade with a hint of orange at the nape, continuing to the tip of the tail. It also displays a gray band around the neck and longitudinal stripes that range from dark brown to gray along its length. Resembling a rat snake, it was found to be a non-aggressive specimen and possibly non-venomous since it was easily picked up from mud filled roadsides.

Importance of the Western Himalayas

Chamba Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Chamba Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India. Image by DBArjun via Depositphotos

The Western Himalayas have long been underexplored in terms of biodiversity, especially compared to their eastern counterparts. The discovery of Anguiculus dicaprioi highlights the region’s rich, but largely undocumented, herpetofaunal diversity. Researchers like Mirza emphasize that the region has the potential to reveal many more species if given further scientific attention. The entire discovery was documented in the Journal Scientific Reports.

Leo’s Contribution to Wildlife Conservation

Leonardo Di Caprio
Leonardo Di Caprio during a documentary shoot. Source: YouTube

Leonardo DiCaprio has funded numerous conservation projects aimed at protecting endangered species and ecosystems around the world. His efforts include supporting anti-poaching initiatives, habitat preservation, and campaigns to combat climate change. DiCaprio has also worked closely with organizations like WWF, Re, and the United Nations, and has been instrumental in creating documentaries that highlight environmental challenges, such as “Before the Flood.” Naming the new snake species after DiCaprio is a nod to his unwavering commitment to preserving the environment, and it also helps raise awareness about the urgent need to protect vulnerable ecosystems like the Himalayas.