LOS ANGELES — The Lunar New Year is a time to wish for good luck and prosperity in the coming year. 

Chinese astrology expert Vicki Iskandar said those born during the “Year of the Snake,” and specifically the “wood snake,” are artistic, imaginative, curious, easygoing and open-minded, but they can also be unpredictable in their energy and emotions.

“This is a year to follow your curiosity," she said. "So travel, read, learn and get inspired."

Famous people born in snake years include Ghandi, Picasso, Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift.

“There’s something really mysterious and magical about snakes to me, and I think they’re misunderstood,” said Byron Wusstig, curator of reptiles at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Wusstig oversees the more than 180 snakes in the collection.

“The polar bears, the pandas, they get the attention, but the snakes need love, too,” he said.

The zoo recently joined a conservancy program called “Project Obscurus” to help save the threatened New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnake.

“Our role in that is reproducing New Mexico ridge-nosed rattlesnakes with the goal of eventual release back into their native habitat,” he said.

Wusstig said snakes play a critical role beyond just our ecosystem. Chemical components in their venom are often used in research and medicine for humans.

“Whether it’s venomous or not venomous, it’s not looking to hurt you," Wusstig said. "It’s not looking to attack a person. It’s just a part of nature in your person that wants to be left alone."

The “Year of Snake” — perhaps helping to rebrand the infamous reptile.