Rare snake hatches in London Zoo

The rhino rat snake gets its name from its horn-like nose

A rare snake found in the mountains of Vietnam has been born for the first time in captivity in London Zoo.

The rhino rat snake (Rhynchophis boulengeri) gets its name from its horn-shaped nose and goes by the nickname of the "green unicorn".

This is the first time the snake, kept at the zoo's Reptile House, has been bred in a European Zoo.

The reptile will turn green when it is one year old and will grow to about 3ft (1m) long.

The snake feeds on geckos, frogs and rodents.

The zoo managed to breed eight snakes, three of which it sent to different zoos across Europe as part of an exchange programme to increase the species' captive population.