The Newly Discovered Species Of Snake That Will Have You Looking Up When Outdoors

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Snakes have long been a worry for many outdoor adventurers, including the iconic Indiana Jones character. For those who are not fond of serpents, much effort is spent trying to keep snakes away from campsites and looking for signs a snake is venomous once one is spotted. If you fall in this category, you have yet another reason to worry, as there is a newly discovered species of snake that will have you looking up when outdoors.

The Dendrelaphis atra, or atra tree snake, was discovered in April 2025 by University of Michigan research scientist Dr. Fred Kraus. Described as matte black in color with large black eyes and a white chin (slightly different to the common tree snake, as shown above), this newly discovered species is non-venomous, so you won't find it on any list of dangerous types of snakes. However, it is unique in other ways. For one, its pigmentation seemingly changes as it ages, with juveniles appearing as grayish-brown, while adults are solid black.

While newly discovered species always generate excitement, Dendrelaphis atra was but one of four recently discovered snake species. All of the new snakes were part of the Dendrelaphis genus. Atra is classified in the punctulatus group. The other recently found Dendrelaphis members — anthracina, melanarkys, and roseni — were originally identified as part of the papuensis group. Kraus' scientific journal asserts a need to further study, reassess, and possibly recategorize those three snakes. 

All four of these new snake species were discovered on islands in the Milne Bay Province of Papua New Guinea. This region encompasses the extreme eastern portion of Papua New Guinea and includes over 600 islands, atolls, and cays. Given this province stretches over a quarter-million square kilometers of ocean, it is no surprise water-borne activities such as diving and fishing are the top reasons people visit.

For his part, Kraus was there for land-based activities, namely studying the wide variety of tree snakes that inhabit this part of Papua New Guinea. His discovery of the Dendrelaphis atra took place on Misima Island. The other snakes were each discovered on separate islands — Rossel, Sudest, and Woodlark islands. While this is a remote region in a relatively remote country, as detailed in the book In the Land of a Thousand Tribes by Raz Cherbelis, the atra tree snake was surprisingly found in some of the more developed portions of the area, including in villages and even a mining site.