Bettiah: A rare and highly venomous snake species, known as the Salazar pit viper and often associated with the “Harry Potter” series, has been rescued in Bihar’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR).
The snake, whose venom is considered fatal within seconds, was found on September 7 inside the private residence of Valmikinagar MLA Dhirendra Pratap Singh, also known as Rinku Singh. It was discovered in the kitchen and later safely removed by forest worker Shankar Yadav, bringing relief to the household.
Abhishek, project manager at the Nature Environment Welfare Society (NEWS), confirmed the snake was a Salazar pit viper (Trimeresurus salazar), a rare species found in Bihar only within VTR. “The rescued Salazar pit viper is venomous and rarely sighted. After the rescue, it was released into the dense forest,” he said.
The Salazar pit viper was first identified in 2019 in Arunachal Pradesh and is recognised as the fifth new reptile species from India in recent years. It takes its name from Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels, who was known for his ability to converse with snakes.
The snake is slender, measuring between 363mm and 415mm in length, with a triangular head. Males are distinguishable by a bright red-orange stripe running along the neck and a rust-coloured or orange tail, while females have a red-orange head stripe and yellow-orange underbelly. Its colouration is usually green, though variations in yellow, orange, red and golden have been recorded.
Although the Salazar pit viper resembles the bamboo pit viper – a less venomous species common in western India – its toxicity is significantly higher. Like other pit vipers, it has heat-sensing organs near its mouth to detect prey.
