FORT-DE-FRANCE, Martinique--As slim as spaghetti and shorter than a pencil, the world’s smallest known snake has been filmed on the Caribbean island of Martinique.
The snake is just 10 centimetres (cm) long. In fact, it is so small that it could slither through a pencil if the lead was removed.
It is believed this thread snake, scientifically known as Tetracheilostoma sp nov, is only found on the island of Martinique. The creature is smaller than the previous title holder of the world’s tiniest snake – the Barbados thread snake, its closest cousin, which was discovered in 2008.
Footage of the snake was captured by the BCC’s Planet Earth II team, aided by scientists Maël Dewynter and Blair Hedges from Pennsylvania State University who discovered the species.
Dwarfed by most other creatures, the Martinique thread snake spends much of its time below ground hiding from harm but despite its size, it is itself a voracious predator.
Easily small enough to slither into ant or termite nests, it can take advantage of the numerous eggs and larvae to be found in a colony. (BBC/Nature World News) ~ Caribbean360 ~
