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World's smallest snake discovered in Caribbean

Sunday, 03 Aug 2008 14:27

The world's smallest snake was found in Barbados

At under four inches in length the world's smallest snake has been discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados.

The species is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and is small enough to rest on a US quarter.

Evolutionary biologist Blaire Hedges came across the type of threadsnake in a tiny forest fragment on the eastern side of the island.

He and his colleagues believe it is rare because most of its potential habitat has been replaced by buildings and farms.

They announced the new species in the journal Zootaxa after they carried out genetic tests on the snake and studied its unique colour pattern and scales.

The researchers found that it produces a single slender egg that occupies a significant portion of the mother's body.

"If a tiny snake were to have two offspring, each egg could occupy only half the space that is devoted to reproduction within its body. But then each of the two hatchlings would be half the normal size, perhaps too small to function as a snake or in the environment," Dr Hedges explained.
"The fact that tiny snakes produce only one massive egg - relative to the size of the mother - suggests that natural selection is trying to keep the size of hatchlings above a critical limit in order to survive."

It is not the first time the scientists has discovered tiny species; he and his colleagues are responsible for the discovery of the world's smallest frog and lizard species.