FIVE new species of snake have been discovered and one of them has been named after Leonardo DiCaprio’s mom.
Actor and conservationist DiCaprio helped to name the snakes after they were discovered during research by Ecuadorian biologist Alejandro Arteaga and Panamanian biologist Abel Batist.
Alejandro Arteaga/KhamaiThis is Leonardo DiCaprio’s new snail-eating snake that he’s now named after his mother[/caption]
Alejandro Arteaga/KhamaiAnother one of the five new snakes is this canopy snail-eating snake (Sibon canopy) which was named in honor of the Canopy Family system[/caption]
The snail-eating serpents were discovered in the jungles of Ecuador, Colombia, and Panama.
DiCaprio and fellow conservationist Ben Sheth helped to name three of the snakes in the hope of raising awareness about rainforest destruction.
Lead study author Arteaga is also the president and research director at the Khamai Foundation, which focuses on conservation.
He said in a statement on the foundation’s website: “These new species of snake are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of new species discoveries in this region.
“But if illegal mining continues at this rate, there may not be an opportunity to make any future discoveries.”
DiCaprio named his snake Sibon irmelindicaprioae after his mother Irmelin Indenbirken.
The actor’s snake is about 15 inches and the rarest of the five.
All of the snakes are being threatened by both legal and illegal mineral mining, which is resulting in large areas of forest being destroyed.
The other snail-eating snake species discovered are called the Sibon canopy, the Sibon marleyae, the Sibon vieirai and the Dipsas welborni.
It is possible that all of them could disappear for good if efforts aren’t made to save their habitat.
Arteaga explained: “When I first explored the rainforests of Nangaritza River in 2014, I remember thinking the place was an undiscovered and unspoiled paradise.
“In fact, the place is called Nuevo Paraíso in Spanish, but it is a paradise no more.
“Hundreds of illegal gold miners using backhoe loaders have now taken possession of the river margins, which are now destroyed and turned into rubble.”