New snake species found at Mount Everest - AKIpress News Agency. Chinese scientists have discovered a new species of brownish pit viper in the largest scientific study since the 1970s on wildlife at Mount Everest, Xinhua reported.

There are no snakes on the higher reaches of Mount Everest because the environment is physiologically impossible for cold-blooded reptiles to survive. Snakes rely on external heat sources to regulate their body temperature, and the sub-zero temperatures, lack of oxygen, and absence of prey at high altitudes (above 4,000 meters) would lead to immediate death. However, in the lower forested valleys of the Himalayan foothills and the Sagarmatha National Park (below 3,000 meters), you may encounter species like the Himalayan Pit Viper. In 2026, researchers have noted that as global temperatures rise, some alpine-adapted species are moving slightly higher into the meadows, but the "Death Zone" and the rocky glaciers of the upper mountain will always remain a snake-free zone. For climbers, the only "creatures" they need to worry about at high altitudes are the jumping spiders (the highest permanent residents on Earth) and the occasional bar-headed goose flying overhead.