A new snake species has been found in Fiji and according to a conservation organization, the species has not been found anywhere else in the world.
According to Fiji Times Online, the species was discovered in Vuna, Taveuni, and is a small, blind, burrowing snake that 'is shiny black in colour, reaches about 25 cm in length, and is harmless'.'A preliminary reaction from Dr George Zug of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, the world authority on Fiji's reptiles, is that this is unlike any other described species of snake in the world'.
'A survey undertaken by NatureFiji-MareqetiViti in conjunction with the Taveuni Paradise Resort has revealed that most farmers in south Taveuni are quite familiar with the Ngata ni qele, though they only see it rarely when digging their gardens or in the forests for wild yams'.
NatureFiji-MareqetiViti is a conservation organization in Fiji that, according to their website, is the only domestic NGO working solely for the conservation and sustainable management of Fiji's unique natural heritage.