They have a reputation for being 'silver-tongued' creatures in many folk tales and legends, but now a snake that appears to be covered in the precious metal has been discovered by biologists.

The Silver Boa was first spotted by a team on a remote island in the Bahamas, who later found the remarkably coloured creature was completely unknown to science.

The team from Harvard University first encountered a metre-long silvery female as she climbed a Silver Palm tree near the water's edge on a remote island in the southern Bahamas.

Biologists who discovered an unusual silver boa (pictured) say it is a new species, having diverged from other boas in the last several million years

Speaking to Citizen Times, Dr Graham Reynolds, said: 'We found this species on its way to extinction, and now we have the opportunity to intervene on their behalf so that doesn't happen.'

Having found the first female, the group then searched the island to locate additional animals, turning up five more of the silver snakes.

Robert Henderson, a snake expert from the Milwaukee Museum of Natural History remarked: 'Worldwide, new species of frogs and lizards are being discovered and described with some regularity. New species of snakes, however, are much rarer.'

The team from Harvard University first encountered a metre-long silvery female (pictured) as she climbed a Silver Palm tree near the water's edge on a remote island in the southern Bahamas

The researchers named it the Silver Boa (pictured) based on its silver colouration and the first specimen's location in a Silver Palm tree

The silver snakes are believed to have diverged from other boas in the last several million years. Emerald tree boas (pictured) are a related species which can be found in the rainforests of South America. Like their slithering silver bretherin, they are recognisable by their striking skin

SILVER SKINNED SNAKES The Silver Boa was first spotted by a team on a remote island in the Bahamas, who later uncovered another five of the snakes. Biologists collected tissue samples, with DNA analysis revealing the remarkably coloured animals were unknown to science. The snakes are believed to have diverged from other boas - such as the striking Emerald Boa - in the last several million years. Advertisement

Biologists collected tissue samples from the newly discovered snakes to analyse their DNA.

The results showed that this unusual silvery boa was indeed a new species, having diverged from other boas in the last several million years.

They named it the Silver Boa based on its silver colouration and the first specimen's location in a Silver Palm tree.

Three other species of boa found in the Bahamas look different from the silver boa, with dark splotches and stripes.

Silver boas also differ in their living arrangements - unlike the other boas in the area, the silver serpents live in trees, where they feed mostly on birds.

The main predators to the Silver Boa are feral cats, that were also found to be roaming the island.

Unlike other boas in the area, the silver serpents live in trees, where they feed mostly on birds (pictured)

But the Silver Boas are far from secure, with their main predators being feral cats (pictured), which were also found to be roaming the island. The threat that these cats pose has led to the Silver Boa being listed as 'Critically Endangered'. Stock image

The threat that these cats pose has led to the Silver Boa being listed as 'Critically Endangered.'

To combat the risk to the snakes, conservation measures are being put in place in the hopes of protecting this new species, and preventing them from going extinct.

These findings show that important discoveries are still waiting to be made, and that new species of animals are ever evolving.