Clarion Nightsnake Discovered In Mexico's Revillagigedo Islands After Being 'Lost' For 80 Years: 4 Fast Facts About The Specimen

In 1936, American naturalist William Beebe visited on of the four Revillagigedo Islands in Mexico and returned with the one specimen of the Clarion nightsnake. That discovery on Clarion island was the last time the snake was spotted -- despite several attempts to find the snake -- leading scientists to believe it was "lost" or extinct. That is, until recently.

According to PLOS ONE scientific journal, a researcher for the National Museum of Natural History in Washington have re-discovered the species. Daniel Mulcahy, and Juan Martinez Gomez of Mexico's Ecology Institute, planned an expedition last May to mimic Beebe's visit. Their rationale was simple: The island's ecosystem changes drastically from season to season so their best chance of finding the snake is to follow Beebe's steps and visit during the same season.

It was one of Martinez Gomez's graduate students, Juan Alberto Cervantes, who spotted the snake for the first time in almost 80 years. In order to verify the identity of the snake, researchers used DNA analysis to learn more about the specimen. Considering that Beebe's specimen was said to be a labeling error, the National Museum of Natural History said Mulcahy "uncovered the controversy surrounding the inclusion of this snake in the scientific record, and found that it appears to be the only species ever to be discarded due to a presumed locality error."

Here are four things to know about the Clarion nightsnake:

1. The Clarion nightsnake (Hypsiglena unaocularis) is brownish black in color and has dark spots on the head and neck. The speciment grows to 18 inches.

2. As the name suggests, the Clarion nightsnake is active in night and blends will into the rock formations of its natural habitat.

3. After its rediscovery, scientists have concluded that the Clarion nightsnake is closest related to are snakes from Mexico's Sonora-Sinaloa coast, which is over 500 miles away from the Revillagigedo Islands.

4. Researchers predict that the Clarion nightsnake's ancestors may have reached the island from the mainland after a tree trunk fell and washed out to the sea.