Scientists discover snake Trachischium lalremsangai in Mizoram and Myanmar
A new underground, worm-eating snake called Trachischium lalremsangai has just been found in the forests of Mizoram and Myanmar.
Scientists from Mizoram University and Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biology made the discovery and named the species after Professor Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, as a nod to his big impact on Indian herpetology.
California museum specimen unnoticed since 2007
The first snake was spotted during a research trip to Murlen National Park, right by Mizoram's border with Myanmar.
Its light-brown belly helped set it apart from other snakes, and DNA tests confirmed it was something new.
Interestingly, another specimen was collected in 2007 and remained unrecognized in the California Academy of Sciences collection until it was discovered during a research visit in September 2025.
T. lalremsangai is now the 11th slender snake known from northeast India and the Himalayas, adding another piece to the puzzle of this super biodiverse region.