Usually, when a snake species goes missing for nearly 80 years, people will celebrate because hey, one less snake! Snake-haters in Mexico will have to put the ticker tape parade on hold, however, because scientists from the National Museum of Natural History recently rediscovered the Clarion nightsnake on the Mexican island of Clarion. It’s believed to be the only place where the snake continues to exist.

“The rediscovery of the Clarion nightsnake is an incredible story of how scientists rely on historical data and museum collections to solve modern-day mysteries about biodiversity in the world we live in,” said discovering researcher Daniel Mulcahy. “Proper identification is the first step toward conserving this snake, and we plan to continue monitoring this species to learn more about the role it plays in the delicate Clarion Island ecosystem.”

First discovered by naturalist William Beebe in 1936, the initial discovery described just a single specimen and its unusual markings. After later scientists were unable to find even a trace of the snake’s existence, it was eventually struck from the scientific record. Starting in 2013, Mulachy and his team used Beebe’s writings as a guide to search for the snake once more. All told, they collected 11 specimens, and DNA testing alongside Beebe’s original confirmed that the nightsnakes wandering Clarion are genetically distinct from species on the mainland.

Part of the difficulty in rediscovering the snake was that Clarion is extremely remote and only accessible via military escort.

The Clarion nightsnake is small, growing to only about 18 inches in length. The snakes are brownish black in color and have a characteristic series of darker spots on their head and neck, and live on the black lava rock habitat near the waters of Sulphur Bay. Though the current population appears to be stable, Clarion’s fragile ecosystem is threatened by invasive species such as feral cats on neighboring islands. These cats prey on lizards, which are likely a main food source for the Clarion nightsnake.