Reproduction

Females only lay a single egg at a time.

At hatching the young snake is already half the length of the adults. This size is necessary to make the young large enough to have food which they can eat.

Behavior

The Barbados threadsnake is considered non-venomous.

Barbados threadsnakes will burrow in to the soft soil. They tend to only emerge above ground when water floods their burrows.

Living underground also helps them to avoid drying out due to the high surface area to volume ratio of these animals.

Predators and Threats

Recently the Brahminy threadsnake has been introduced to their island home. As these snakes can breed quicker than the Barbados threadsnake it is thought they could outcompete them.

Barbados threadsnakes are found exclusively in forest. This is declining and presents a major threat to their survival which has led to their listing as critically endangered.

Much of the suitable habitats are found in gullies which are being turned in to landfills which may reduce its use as a habitat.

Quick facts

The Barbados threadsnake is recognized as the world's smallest species of snake. It is thought that they have evolved to the smallest possible size for a snake.

This species was first described for science in 2008 after two were found in the wild in 2006 by scientist S. Blair Hedges. Since this specimens have been identified in museums dating back to 1889 which were mis-identified.

Currently classified as Tetracheilostoma carlae, this species was formerly classified as Leptotyphlops carlae.

Their species name carlae, came from the wife of the scientist which wrote the paper describing them, Carla Ann Hass.