Image via. Bryan Fry

A team of biologists, led by The University of Queensland have just discovered a new species of venomous snake and despite this, experts say the reptile may already be in danger of extinction because of the mining and resources industry.

The team of biologists, which is led by Associate Professor Bryan Fry discovered a new species of bandy-bandy snake at Weipa on the West Coast of the Cape York Peninsula. The surprising discovery was made when the team was undertaking sea snake research.

“Bandy-bandy is a burrowing snake, so Freek Vonk from the Naturalis Museum and I were surprised to find it on a concrete block by the sea,” Professor Fry said.

It was later discovered that the snake had slithered over from a pile of bauxite rubble waiting to be loaded onto a ship.

“On examination by my student, Chantelle Derez, the bandy-bandy turned out to be a new species, visually and genetically distinct from those found on the Australian East coast and parts of the interior.”

The team of biologists found another specimen in its natural habitat near Weipa, and another killed by a car close to the mine. Two more reptiles were found in museum collections, contributing to a tally of five observations in the same small area.

Professor Fry announced that he ‘feared the new species could be in trouble’.

“Bauxite mining is a major economic activity in the region, and it may be reshaping the environment to the detriment of native plants and animals,” Professor Fry said.

“The importance of such discoveries goes beyond simply documenting what is out there, as venoms are rich sources of compounds that can be used to develop new medications.”

“The discovery of this enigmatic little snake is symptomatic of the much more fundamental problem of how little we know about our biodiversity and how much may be lost before we even discover it,” commented the professor.

Professor Fry’s Weipa Bandy-bandy research is now published in the journal Zootaxa.

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