Overview

• Measuring just 7.5–10 centimeters, the blind threadsnake burrows underground to feed on termites and ants and reproduces by laying a single slender egg per clutch.
• Researchers confirmed the March 20 rediscovery during a central Barbados forest survey and used microscopic examination to distinguish the threadsnake from the similar-looking invasive Brahminy blind snake.
• First described in 2008 by S. Blair Hedges from limited specimens, the threadsnake had evaded detection since 2005 and was feared extinct until this year’s finding.
• Barbados has lost 98 percent of its primary forests since European colonization, and many endemic species have gone extinct, underscoring the urgent need for habitat protection.
• The Barbados Ministry of Environment, Re:wild and the University of the West Indies will conduct comprehensive surveys to delineate the threadsnake’s distribution and establish targeted conservation protocols.