Comments on: Fiji: New Species of Snake Discovered

By: Tomu

Tomu — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:18:25 +0000

This sounds very much like a little-known snake from the rainforest of the main island, Viti Levu. Its local name is Bolo, and it is small and shiny black. They have eyes, but I don’t recall “mine” ever really showing signs of seeing anything; so it might have been blind. People would occasionally find them while digging. They were quite docile. Only after handling “my” specimen regularly (and without incident) did I learn that it had never been described by science, but was believed to be an elaphid — a cobra relative! Regrettably, this information came after the specimen died from refusing to eat, and only then did I discover that procuring another specimen (to present to the proper authorities for study and formal description) was not possible during my tenure in Fiji.

Anyway, there isn’t enough information in this article to guess whether this snake is more widespread than believed, or whether there are a tribe of related species, each endemic to a different island in the group. But the subject is intriguing. I wonder whether Dr. Zug can shed any light on this.

By: Ayala

Ayala — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:14:25 +0000

I am glad to hear that someone like Dr. Zug is still around as well. I think it is so important for someone in the field to be talking to these people and gleaning information from them about the early cryptozoological organizations. We need a cryptozoology historian.

By: mystery_man

mystery_man — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:38:51 +0000

I hadn’t heard about this one. I’m curious to the statement that the snake is not found anywhere else in the world, since many animals are unique to one place. Does this emphasis on the fact have to do with something more than it’s just being endemic to Fiji? I’d also be interested to know why this species is so unlike any other snake, what features it possesses that apparently makes it such a wonderfully unique find.

By: AlbertaSasquatch

AlbertaSasquatch — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:28:08 +0000

Before I started frequenting cryptomundo a while back I would never have guessed that so many animals are being discovered all the time. Not always small animals and insects either. Some of these animals are quite large. It just blows my mind that we know so much yet it still is just a fraction of what is really out there. These kind of discoveries give me great hope that one day some of the bigger cryptids will be catalogued and proven to science and the rest of the world.

By: Andrew Minnesota

Andrew Minnesota — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:49 +0000

Interesting find it just goes to show we should never dismiss unrecognized species that locals around the world say are out there.

By: wdsasquatch

wdsasquatch — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:46:00 +0000

Cool.
Yes, we will never catalogue all species on Earth.