Snail-Eating Snake Named For Leonardo DiCaprio

Live Science

Five previously unknown tree-dwelling snake species, including one named in honor of Leonardo DiCaprio's mother, were found in the jungles Central and South America. Credit: Alejandro Arteaga

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00:005 new tree-dwelling snake species have been discovered in the jungles of Ecuador, Colombia

00:12and Panama.

00:15Leonardo DiCaprio, Brian Sheath and Nature and Culture International named three of the

00:19new species in honor of loved ones while raising awareness about the issue of rainforest destruction

00:25due to gold mining.

00:28Gold mining in Latin America has exploded.

00:31Vast areas of previously untouched rainforests are currently being transformed into open

00:36pit mines, a barren landscape into which tree-dwelling snakes cannot survive.

00:44One of these snakes is the DiCaprio snail-eating snake, named after Leonardo DiCaprio's mother.

00:50It is an extremely rare species that occurs in the largely unexplored Chocó-da-Renjun.

00:57The second species is the Marley snail-eating snake, named after conservationist Brian Sheath's

01:03daughter.

01:04This reptile has a unique Christmas coloration and so far has only been found in undisturbed

01:10primary rainforests.

01:12The third is the Wellborn snail-eating snake, named after David Wellborn, former member

01:18of the board of Nature and Culture International.

01:21Sadly, this new serpent is declining rapidly due to massive gold mining operations in the

01:27previously pristine Cordillera del Condo.

01:31The Canopy snail-eating snake and the Vieira snail-eating snake are also declining due

01:35to rainforest destruction in general, but not as fast as the other three species.

01:41Fortunately, three NGOs in Ecuador and Panama have already made it their mission to save

01:46the snake's habitat from the emerging gold mining frenzy.

01:50Helping these organizations is vital, because their quest for immediate land protection

01:54is the only way to save the snakes from extinction.

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