A tiny snake species once believed to be extinct has been rediscovered in Barbados, CBS News reports.
The Barbados threadsnake, scientifically known as Tetracheilostoma carlae, was spotted by Connor Blades, a local official with the Ministry of Environment. He had ventured into the forest with a team—one part of which was searching for the elusive snake, while the other was studying a rare tree species native to the island. The tiny snake was found beneath a stone and was immediately taken to a lab for further study.
Blades explained that the Barbados threadsnake is often confused with the Brahminy blind snake, a species that resembles an earthworm. However, he got lucky—he had indeed found the rare Barbados threadsnake. It marked the first confirmed sighting of the species in 20 years. The last known encounter occurred back in 2005.
Members of the Tetracheilostoma carlae species are blind, live underground, and feed on ants and termites. They are also unique in that they lay only one egg at a time. Adult snakes measure a mere 10 centimeters in length, making them the smallest snakes known to science.
