Slovak zoologist behind unique European discovery

Slovak zoologist Daniel Jablonski, from Comenius University in Bratislava, has identified a new European species of snake. Since 2013, together with his colleagues from Germany and Switzerland he has been conducting a genetic analysis of more than 1,600 snakes. The new discovery is the barred grass snake, Natrix helvetica, which is now recognised as a species in its own right, distinct from the common or eastern grass snake (Natrix natrix). Natrix Helvetica can be found in the areas from the Rhine in Germany to the Pyrenees, including the British Isles and the Apennine Peninsula. The snake is about 1m long and has distinctive black stitch spots, and two tips with small spots on the back.