Flying snake, pit viper among rare and new species discovered in cave in Cambodia

Key Points:

• Researchers conducting a multi-year biodiversity study in over 60 limestone caves across Cambodia's Battambang province discovered multiple rare and new species, including a fluorescent-turquoise pit viper and a flying snake.
• The karst formations in Cambodia, described as isolated "islands of habitat," have been historically understudied and contain unique species found nowhere else due to their isolation by human activity.
• Exploration involved navigating narrow, dark cave tunnels from November 2023 to July 2025, uncovering various rare species such as camouflaged leaf-toed geckos, vividly colored millipedes, and a range of reptiles including reticulated pythons and spot-legged tree frogs.
• The newly found pit viper is highly venomous and uses heat-sensitive pits to track prey; many species in these karsts have evolved independently due to their isolation, sometimes existing only within a single cave.
• The study also emphasizes the urgent need for conservation, as karst ecosystems face threats from quarrying, tourism, wildfires, logging, and hunting, with only about 1% of these habitats legally protected worldwide.