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[The Docta]

Chameleonlike snake found [photo and original article (in German) can be found here]

Biologists have discovered a venomous water boiga in the Indonesian rainforest that is capable of changing its color like a chameleon.
The German-Amercan scientist team discovered this change of colour just by chance.

Changed colour in a bucket
The about 50 cm long snake was already found last year in the wet region of the river Kapua on the island of Borneo but the change of color has just recently been discovered,
"I put the reddish-brown snake into a dark bucket. A few minutes later when I came back and looked after it, the snake had almost completely turned white." says Mark Auliya from the Zoologial Institute and Museum Alexander Koenig in Bonn, Germany.

Color change makes scientist puzzle
Now it is clear that in fact this is a new species.
Though it is yet undiscovered why the mud snake, as the locals use to call it, changes its color even though it is venomous, says Iwan Wibisono from the environment-organization WWF. Usually the animals use this possibility to protect themselves against predators. It is possible that they make use of this trick when hunting.

Best wishes

Jürgen
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1,1 Elaphe dione; 1,1 Elaphe schrencki;
1,1 Zamenis persicus; 2,1 Rhinechis scalaris;
1,1 Gonyosoma prasinum