The world’s smallest snake has been rediscovered in Barbados, two decades after it was last seen.

The Barbados threadsnake, feared to be extinct, was found under a rock in the island’s centre during an ecological survey in March, conducted by the environment ministry in partnership with conservation group Re:wild.

Fully grown, the snake reaches just 10cm in length and is as thin as a strand of spaghetti. It was listed among 4,800 plant, animal and fungi species “lost to science”.

The rarity of the snake is a concern for scientists. Connor Blades, a project officer for the environment ministry, said: “If the threadsnake population is not very dense, I am worried about their ability to find mates, particularly if their habitat is under threat and being degraded.”

Blades and Justin Springer, Re:wild’s Caribbean programme officer, had been searching for the species – along with several other endemic reptiles – for over a year as part of a conservation project.

During the survey in March, Springer said he jokingly told Blade: “I smell a threadsnake,” while turning over a rock trapped under a tree root. And there it was.

“When you are so accustomed to looking for things and you don’t see them, you are shocked when you actually find it,” Springer said.

The specimen was taken to the University of the West Indies, where microscopic examination revealed pale orange lines along its body and a distinctive nasal scale, confirming the identification.

First recorded in 1889, the Barbados threadsnake has only been documented a handful of times. It reproduces sexually, with females laying just a single egg per clutch – unlike some reptiles that can produce fertile eggs without mating.

With 98% of the island’s forest cleared for agriculture since colonisation more than 500 years ago, conservationists warn that habitat loss and invasive species continue to threaten the snake’s survival.

“The threadsnake’s rediscovery is also a call to all of us as Barbadians that forests in Barbados are very special and need protection,” said Springer. “Not just for the threadsnake, but for other species as well. For plants, animals and our heritage.”

 

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At Natural World Fund, we are passionate about restoring habitats in the UK to halt the decline in our wildlife.