No one had ever reported seeing an albino Shen’s odd-scaled snake (Achalinus sheni) until scientists found one slithering around in a mountainous region of China’s Hunan Province. The research team was conducting a herpetological survey in Yangshi Town when they discovered and collected four Shen’s odd-scaled snake, including an albino one with “a distinct pastel-yellow body coloration and red eyes.”
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Odd-scaled snakes are non-venomous burrowing snakes in the Xenodermidae family that live across the southern and eastern parts of Asia. Prior to the newly released study detailing the albino Shen’s odd-scaled snake, researchers said, “there [were] no reports of albinism in any species in Xenodermidae.”
There weren’t any photographs or descriptions of female Shen’s odd-scaled snakes, either. Three of the four snakes the researchers collected for their study were female (including the albino snake), allowing the scientists to gain a better understanding of the species as a whole.
The researchers described the albino snake’s head scales, underside, and tail as “milk star white” and darker on both sides with some scales appearing “almost transparent with a slight hint of pastel orange.” They also said: “The iris was blood-red, with a reddish pupil.”
Sounds a bit demon-esque. Despite the creepy factor, it’s a great find for the scientific community.
See a close-up of the snake’s eyes here:
Learn more about this rare snake with red eyes in the newly published research report in ZooKeys.
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