A new snake species discovered in the Himalayas has been named after Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio to honour the actor and environmentalist.
The Anguiculus dicaprioi is a copper-coloured snake with a short head, large nostrils, “dozens of teeth” and a “steeply domed snout”, according to a study published in the scientific journal Nature.
The snakes grow up to 22 inches, the group of researchers from Germany, the UK and India said.
They were discovered when researchers in the summer of 2020 decided to search for some poorly known snake species as part of ongoing research on reptiles.
The snakes were found basking on mud roads in the north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. They remained motionless till they were caught and made no attempts to bite, according to the scientists.
These snakes are mostly active from late May to August and are not found at other times of the year. The researchers confirmed their discovery through DNA analysis and found that the new species lived in the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and neighbouring Nepal.
The snake is believed to survive at places up to 1,800m above sea level.
The snake was first found by scientist Virender Bhardwaj in the backyard of his home in the western Himalayas during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to reports.
The discovery led to a three-year-long investigation by Zeeshan A Mirza, Mr Bhardwaj, Saunak Pal, Gernot Vogel, Patrick D Campbell and Harshil Patil.
Researchers said they named the new species after Mr DiCaprio because he “has been actively involved in creating awareness about global climate change (and) increased biodiversity loss”.
“In addition to this, he has made funds available for field conservation activities and research,” the report said.
In 2023, he was given the honour of naming the new species after it was discovered in the Panamanian jungle. The Dicaprio snail-eating snake is named Simon irmelindicaprioae after the actor’s mother, Irmelin Indenbirken, who he frequently brings to awards ceremonies and credits for his success.
Mr DiCaprio started his eponymous foundation in 1998 at the age of 24 after being inspired by watching nature documentaries as a child.
Since then, the foundation has funded over 200 projects across more than 50 countries, protecting endangered species, restoring ecosystems, providing clean water and funding renewable energy.
He was named in The Independent‘s inaugural Climate 100 List, which included changemaking activists, scientists, academics, philanthropists, political leaders, business and tech leaders, and fashion entrepreneurs.