A new species of green pit vipers, named Trimeresus Salazar, was discovered by researchers in India and was named after a prominent figure in the Harry Potter lore.
Trimeresurus Salazar, the species endemic to East and Southeast, is a semi-eponym to Harry Potter’s pure wizard, Salazar Slytherin.
The account was made official after the Indian scientists published the name as part of Zoosystematics and Evolution journal.
Seemingly found of the book character, the researchers also gave the new species a nickname of ‘Salazar’s pit viper.’ Coincidentally, pit vipers are generally known to be venomous.
A Look into Hogwarts
Fans of the book series by popular author, J.K. Rowling, would recall Salazar as one of the founding pillars of Hogwarts. Salazar built the Slytherin house as a separate entity from fellow founders, Helga, Rowena, and Godric. The aforementioned founders established Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor, respectively.
Aside from being notable as a Hogwart founder, Salazar is also renowned for his ability to speak to snakes and read minds. Possessors of which referred to as Parselmouth and Legilimens, respectively.
Upon its official acknowledgment, Trimeresurus Salazar makes part of the 48 species of snakes found in the area. As a crawler, the creature is most renowned for its orange-reddish stripe, particularly as male.
New Movie Entry
Meanwhile, delving into the Harry Potter lore, news came regarding the anticipated third entry to the Fantastic Beasts movie series. Quoting the movie series’ actor, Dan Fogler, the developing movie is said to be displaying ‘epic battle scenes.’
Further disclosure from the actor points to the mentioned statement about a “massive war” taking place in the wizarding world. It directly follows the events that took place at the closing of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
Fogler plays the role of a ‘No Maj,’ Jacob Kowalski. A ‘No Maj’ is a Harry Potter region-specific equivalent of the ‘Muggle.’ Otherwise known as people without magical powers.
An Expected Delay
Due to the ongoing pandemic, the shooting for the movie is reportedly temporarily put to a halt. In hindsight, the announced delay is not going to be the film’s first. As reported previously, the film’s production has also had its postponement back in 2019 due to needed further pre-production preparations.
Consequently, the new entry to the Fantastic Beasts movie series is pushed for November 12, 2021 release.
As part of the overall Harry Potter universe, the naming Trimeresurus Salazar pays tribute to the book and its lore.
Image used courtesy of YouTube/Amaze Lab, MovieFlame