The World’s Tiniest Snake: A Reptile That Can Fit in the Palm of Your Hand

[ Cet article a initialement été publié en mai 2024]

The world of snakes fascinates or revolts. Along with spiders, it is a source of unhealthy fear for many people. But you have to know how to rationalize this state and tell yourself that, like most living creatures on our planet, snakes do not present a real danger to humans that in most cases, this slender creature will try to flee during an unfortunate encounter. There are even some so small that you can completely pass by without realizing it.

The snake thread Leptotyphlops carlae

But is it an earthworm? No, it is indeed a snake, although its appearance can be deceptive. Leptotyphlops Carlae is unique in its kind and stands out greatly from its congeners, the largest of which can exceed 6 meters. But what do we know about this tiny snake, measuring barely ten centimeters and whose discovery is fairly recent?

First of all, it is not found everywhere on the planet. Found in 2008, it is said to be endemic to the Caribbean islands of Barbados and Antigua. For the record, it was supposedly named in honor of the wife of the researcher who discovered it. Proof of romanticism like any other, right?

The Cité des Sciences tells us a little more about this little madman: The new species is five millimeters less than the previous record and is 100 times smaller than the largest snake, a python from Southeast Asia. It would weigh about 1 gram.

This little guy is the Barbados threadsnake (Leptotyphlops carlae) and is the smallest kno… https://t.co/5Z01bwQkZm pic.twitter.com/DmhnkPodNU

— ScienceAlert (@ScienceAlert) October 4, 2016

An intriguing species about which we don't know everything

This little snake is full of mystery due to its “recent” discovery. But it would already turn out to be in serious danger. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, our Barbados thread snake is critically endangered and has been on the red list of priority animal species for almost ten years now. The Cité des Sciences even calls it a “spaghetti”.

It feeds on termites and ants and its eggs are said to be more elongated than others. The number of representatives of the species is unknown to date.

What is the longest snake in the world?

A true youngest of snakes, our Barbados thread snake pales in comparison to the giants of its family. Among the largest snakes in the world, we can find the famous reticulated python, the largest members of which have reached almost ten meters.

Next come the green anacondas which can reach record levels on the scale (nearly 200 kg). We can also add the Burmese pythons which easily exceed 5m in length.

Source: Guinness World Records