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6h ago

World’s Smallest Snake Confirmed in Barbados, Conservation Surveys Underway

The project to map the threadsnake’s elusive range will inform habitat protection efforts on an island that has lost most of its original forest

The Barbados threadsnake, missing for nearly 20 years, was rediscovered in March 2025.
The Barbados threadsnake is just three to four inches long and about the same width as a strand of spaghetti. Pictured here in 2006, the species was officially described in 2008.
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Overview

  • The Barbados threadsnake, measuring just 9–10 cm and feeding on termites and ants, was rediscovered under a rock during a March ecological survey by the environment ministry and Re:wild.
  • Microscopic examination at the University of the West Indies was required to distinguish the threadsnake from the invasive Brahminy blind snake due to subtle scale patterns and pale dorsal lines.
  • Since its formal description in 2008, the elusive blind, subterranean species has been recorded only a handful of times, highlighting the challenge of studying cryptic island endemics.
  • Barbados has lost over 98 percent of its primary forest, placing endemic species like the threadsnake at greater risk and underscoring urgent biodiversity conservation needs.
  • Researchers from the environment ministry, Re:wild and academic partners now plan expanded field surveys to delineate the threadsnake’s distribution and develop targeted habitat protection strategies.