Newly Discovered Snake Species with Numerous Teeth Named After Leonardo DiCaprio

Mar. 15, 2025

Leonardo DiCaprio; Anguiculus dicaprioi snake.Photo:Kevin Mazur/Getty; Vipul Ramanuj

Kevin Mazur/Getty; Vipul Ramanuj

Leonardo DiCaprionow has a new species of snake named in his honor!

After catching a few of the copper-colored snakes with dozens of teeth, scientists analyzed their DNA. They found that although the serpent had the familiar traits of other snakes, it was a new species entirely — Anguiculus dicaprioi, or DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake.

Plate contacting the original sketches of Ablabes owenii (= Liopeltis rappii) and Ablabes rappii (= Liopeltis rappii) from Günther (1860).

DiCaprio’s Himalayan snakes are considered small, reaching lengths of only 22 inches. They have “short” heads, “large” nostrils, many teeth, and a “steeply domed snout.”

The snake was named after the Hollywood A-lister, 49, because the “American actor, film producer, and environmentalist [is someone] who has been actively involved in creating awareness about global climate change (and) increased biodiversity loss,” researchers said.

The species was found “basking” on the roads of muddy mountains and “remained motionless until caught and made no attempts to bite.”

Anguiculus dicaprioi, or DiCaprio’s Himalayan snake.Vipul Ramanuj

Vipul Ramanuj

The team — consisting of Zeeshan Mirza, Virender Bhardwaj, Saunak Pal, H. T. Lalremsanga, Gernot Vogel, Patrick Campbell, and Harshil Patel — said DiCaprio’s Himalayan snakes can survive elevations of approximately 6,100 feet.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

According to the published findings, the new species has been found in Nepal and the neighboring Indian states of Himachal Pradesh since its discovery.

Speaking to PEOPLE at theToronto International Film Festivalin September 2016 for his documentaryThe Ivory Game,DiCaprio explainedhow he got into environmental activism.

Leonardo DiCaprio; January 2024.Jesse Grant/Getty

Jesse Grant/Getty

TheTitanicstar told PEOPLE that meeting former Vice PresidentAl Goreat the White House in his early 20s helped him implement a plan.

“He sat me down, drew a picture of the planet, drew our atmosphere, and said, ‘This Is the most important crisis facing humanity,’ and from that point on, I really become not only fascinated with the issue but really concerned why we as a collective world community haven’t done enough about it,” DiCaprio said.

In 1998, he startedthe Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which “supports over 35 innovative conservation projects around the world that protect fragile ecosystems and key species.” It is still active today.

source: people.com