17-year-old spends 40 nights searching mountains, finds rare snake that scientists confirmed as a new species

A 17-year-old Chinese high school student’s determination to find an unusual snake has helped researchers formally identify a species previously unknown to science.

The discovery began on October 18, 2024, when Zhou Jiajun of the Zhejiang Forest Resources Monitoring Centre and local wildlife enthusiast Chen Haojun found incomplete remains of an unusual snake while surveying the Kuocang Mountains in Zhejiang Province, China.

The slender brown-to-dark-brown snake did not match species they were familiar with, but the incomplete remains were not enough to identify it. Researchers needed a complete specimen for further study.

Teenager Spends More Than 40 Nights Searching

After learning about the unidentified snake, 17-year-old wildlife enthusiast Hu Jiahao decided to search for it himself.

Hu had been interested in wildlife from a young age and regularly explored the mountains to photograph and observe animals. He eventually contacted Zhou Jiajun through an online science community, and the two began working together.

During the summer of 2025, Hu spent more than 40 nights searching the Kuocang Mountains after completing his studies. Some trips involved round journeys of nearly 100 kilometres.

His initial searches were unsuccessful, but he continued returning to the area and adjusted his approach based on his observations.

A Change in Strategy Leads to Breakthrough

Hu initially focused on rainy nights, expecting the snakes to be more active in wet conditions. However, repeated searches produced no results.

He eventually changed his strategy and began searching on clear nights.

On August 17, 2025, while descending the mountain, Hu spotted a slender snake crossing the road. He realised it appeared to be the species he had been searching for.

The adult female measured 332 millimetres in snout-vent length and displayed the same distinctive characteristics as the incomplete specimen found in 2024.

Researchers later designated the snake as the holotype, the specimen used as the formal reference for describing a new species.

Teenager Finds Four More Specimens

Hu continued his fieldwork after making the breakthrough discovery and found four additional specimens over the following two months.

Together with the original material, these specimens provided researchers with enough evidence to examine the snake's physical characteristics and genetic differences from related species.

The research ultimately established that the animal represented a previously unknown species.

New Snake Named Achalinus mirabilis

Researchers named the new species Achalinus mirabilis, with the proposed English common name Kuocang Mountain odd-scaled snake.

Genetic analysis found a 9.5% to 10.9% divergence in the mitochondrial COI gene from its closest known relatives, supporting the conclusion that it is a distinct species.

The findings were published in Zoosystematics and Evolution in the study Taxonomic reassessment of Achalinus jinggangensis (Zong & Ma, 1983) (Serpentes, Xenodermidae), with description of a new species from Zhejiang Province, China.

Hu Jiahao’s Persistence Played a Key Role

The discovery highlights how field observations and persistence can contribute to scientific research.

While the original snake remains were found by experienced field workers, Hu’s repeated searches produced the complete specimens researchers needed to identify and formally describe the species.

By continuing to search around his school schedule and changing his approach after repeated failures, the teenager helped turn an unidentified snake specimen into a formally recognised species new to science.

[With TOI inputs]