A new variety of green pit viper snake found in India has been named after the character Salazar Slytherin from the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling. Researchers from the National Centre for Biological Sciences and Bombay Natural History Society discovered the snake in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, a biodiversity hotspot at the foot of the eastern Himalayas. The newly discovered species belongs to the genus Trimeresurus, a type of venomous pit viper found in East and Southeast Asia. Researchers believe that the discovery highlights the extraordinary biodiversity of a region that is now being threatened by development.