GENEVA: A water snake with chameleon-like ability has been found in the forests of Borneo island by researchers from the U.S. and Germany working in the area. The World Wildlife Fund said Tuesday the previously unknown snake, which is poisonous, can change the colour of its skin spontaneously like a chameleon.
The snake, half a meter in length, was found in the wetlands and swamp forests of Betung National Park in the Indonesian part of the island. The WWF said when it was picked up and placed in a bucket, it had a reddish-brown color, but soon it changed to white in a bid to blend with the surroundings.
The WWF said it was rare for snakes to have the capability to change color although reptiles with legs like the chameleon lizards have the ability.
The scientists have named it Kapuas mud snake, after the river that flows through the region. It belongs to the Enhydris genus of rear-fanged water snakes and has been given the scientific name of E. gyii.
Scientists said it is unclear how the snake got this attribute. The chameleon is believed to alter its skin color depending on mood and temperature.
Nearly 350 new animal and plant species have been discovered in Borneo in the last 10 years. The WWF says the island is threatened because its forest cover has declined from 75 per cent in the mid-1980s to about 50 per cent now.
