Until last month, the Mexican Garter Snake (Thamnophis eques) hadn’t been seen in New Mexico, where it’s listed as endangered, since 1994. But after years of searching, biologists from the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo discovered a population of this species along the Gila River in early June. A total of six snakes have been found to date, according to the Associated Press (1, 2, 3); two were released, and four were brought to the zoo to begin a captive breeding program.