The Barbados thread snake, scientifically named Tetracheilostoma Care, holds the title of the smallest known snake species.
It resides on the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Anguilla and belongs to the Leptotyphlopidae family.
In this article, we will explore the characters and reproduction of the smallest snake.
Taxonomy and Etymology of The Barbados Thread Snake
In 2008, S. Blair Hedges, a herpetologist from Pennsylvania State University, distinguished the Barbados thread snake as a distinct species.
As a tribute to his wife, Carla Ann Hass, who also participated in the discovery, he named the new snake species after her.
Despite previous misclassifications in reference collections at the London Natural History Museum and a California museum, they correctly identified the species.
By August 2008, T. Carla held the title of the world’s smallest snake species in terms of adult size. Initially, the research team unearthed scientific specimens beneath rocks in a forest.
It is believed that this snake approaches the lower size limit for snakes, as young ones must reach a certain minimum size to find suitable food sources.
The Barbados Thread Snake Reproduction
Threadsnakes (Leptotyphlopidae) reproduce by laying eggs; specifically, the female of the T. carlae snake species lays a single large egg at a time.
As a result, the emerging offspring is approximately half the length of the mother.
In contrast, small snake species like T. carlae have relatively larger newborns when compared to adult snakes.
While the offspring of the largest snakes are merely one-tenth the length of adults, the offspring of the smallest snakes typically measure one-half the length of their adult counterparts.
These diminutive snakes produce only one massive egg relative to their mother’s size.
The Barbados Thread Snake Description
T. carlae adults average 10 cm, with the largest reaching 10.4 cm.
It’s as slim as spaghetti, seen on a quarter-dollar coin measuring 24.26 mm in diameter, and weighing 0.6 grams.
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