In a major win for conservation, the Barbados threadsnake (Tetracheilostoma carlae)—the world’s smallest-known snake—was rediscovered in 2025 after nearly two decades without a confirmed sighting. Measuring just 10 cm long, the blind, burrowing reptile feeds on ants and termites and is barely wider than a spaghetti strand.
First identified in 2008 by biologist S. Blair Hedges, the snake had been feared extinct. Its rediscovery by Barbados’ Ministry of Environment highlights the island’s rich but fragile biodiversity. With shrinking forest cover and several endemic species already lost, the threadsnake’s return renews urgency for habitat protection.
Conservationists now see the snake as a symbol for preserving native wildlife in Barbados and across the Caribbean.
