A new snake species has been revealed in the South Caucasus.

Axar.az reports that the scientists from the Sochi National Park together with their colleagues from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Slovakia and Czech Republic described a new species of a big snake.

It got its name from the name of Urartu, an ancient state once located in the area from Goycha (Göyçə) lake to Van.

The Urartu black snake is attributed to the so-called sibling species, discovered by biologist Ernst Mayr in the 1950s. The new species dwells in the mountainous areas of Daghestan and further across the South Caucasus.