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A newly-discovered species of snake has been named in honor of the late great Steve Irwin. The species of wolf snake was found in the Great Nicobar Islands of India.
The announcement of this species named after the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ was published in the scientific journal Evolutionary Systematics under the title ‘A ‘Crikey’ new snake: An insular Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata, Colubridae) from the Nicobar Archipelago, India.’
New Wolf Snake Species Named In Honor Of Steve Irwin
S. Naveen, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Girish Choure, and S. R. Chandramouli / Evolutionary Systematics
The newly discovered wolf snake species was found in the Nicobar Archipelago. That chain of islands is described in the journal as a “biodiversity hotspot in the Bay of Bengal” which is home to “several poorly studied and endemic reptile lineages.”
Reading between the lines, that means it is a prime location to document new species as the species here are understudied.
According to the findings, the Lycodon subcinctus Boie had only been documented from one single sighting on Great Nicobar Island until now. After collecting specimens it was determined to be a distinct subspecies and the paper’s authors, S. Naveen, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Girish Choure, and S. R. Chandramouli, were able to name the newly documented species.
The name they came up with was Lycodon irwini, named for Steve Irwin the ‘Crocodile Hunter.’ In the paper, they state:
The specific epithet is a patronym honouring the late Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962–1964 September 2006), the renowned Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, and wildlife educator. His passion and dedication to wildlife education and conservation have inspired naturalists and conservationists worldwide, including the authors of this paper.
Steve Irwin touched millions and millions across the globe with his love of every animal species. He was the ultimate ambassador for conservation and ecology through his infectious love of the natural world, and that included the most deadly snakes on earth:
He was truly 1 of 1.