A new life underground
Researchers from UNAM and BUAP have just named a secret inhabitant of the Mexican underground: Yakacoatl tlalli. It’s not just a new species. It is an unknown genus for science, which confirms that there are still lineages to be discovered even in relatively studied regions.
“It is part of the Sonorini tribe, a group of snakes that spend much of their lives underground,” explained academic Antonio Yolocalli Cisneros Bernal.
His body tells the story of a life dedicated to excavating. It has reduction of scales on the head and a special fusion of the skull bones. Its shovel-shaped nose is its master tool to make its way.
A ghost that is difficult to catch
Studying this reptile has been a monumental challenge. It is so elusive that only three specimens are known: two found dead and one that was photographed and released. That’s why scientists consider it “rare and difficult to detect.”
She lives isolated in the Balsas River basin, a region surrounded by mountains. This geographic isolation is the perfect breeding ground for endemism: species that do not exist anywhere else on the planet.
It has a curious detail that distinguishes it from its underground relatives: it retains relatively large eyes. Regarding its diet, the evidence is scarce, but experts suspect that it feeds on insects and worms.
Its greatest mystery, and perhaps its greatest vulnerability, is that its state of conservation cannot be evaluated. The lack of records prevents this.
“Although it is often thought that reptiles easily tolerate heat, many species have very strict thermal limits,” warned Cisneros Bernal.
The threats are clear: change in land use and direct aggression due to fear or misinformation. Protecting what we are just beginning to know becomes a race against the clock.
