World's smallest snake discovered

No, it's not a worm. It's what researchers from Penn State say is the world's smallest snake.

Thin as a spaghetti noodle, Leptotyphlops cariae was discovered on the Caribbean island of Barbados by Blair Hedges, an evolutionary biologist at the university. He reports his findings in today's edition of Zootaxa.

The non-venomous snake is the smallest of more than 3,100 known snake species, Hedges says. "The smallest snakes are in the genus Leptotyphlops," he writes, "where six species have maximum lenths that are less than 105 mm." (That's about 4 inches.)

Exceptionally small, or large, varieties of certain creatures are sometimes found on islands, and Hedges offers an explanation for this phenomenon: "The best explanation for the observation of body size extremes on islands is that colonziing species have adapted to open ecological niches that would otherwise be occupied on the mainland. Island colonists encounter novel environments and reduced interspecific competition, allowing species to evolve physical traits, including extremes in size, not normally seen on continents."

Hedges also explains the cariae in Leptotyphlops cariae: "The species name is dedicated to my wife, Carla Ann Hass." 

-- Steve Padilla

Photo: Blair Hedges/Penn State

Comments

[Renee]

This is called a "Texas Blind Snake" here in Texas... I found one in my kitchen, on Friday, and almost passed out, I put it in a bag and took it to a pet store on Monday, the sucker was still alive and they told me it was a texas blind snake but it was harmless and usually feeds on small insects... a snake is a snake is a snake and I don't want them in my house or anywhere else for that matter. I thought it was a baby snake and the mother was lerking somewhere... Don't take any chances still find out what it is if you find one. The guy at the pet store picked it up and put it in the palm of his hand. It turned colors, almost silver, and I asked him why he said because, as a defense mechanism, they defecate and cover their bodies which makes them look silver in color. Yuk!

[Fred and Susan]

I have a question. I found one of these snakes yesterday in my yard under a tarp. I have to look through a magnifying glass to see it. I live in the north end of San Bernardino. How did it get here? What do you feed something this small?

[Jesse Fannan]

It is not called a texas blind snake because it's only found on the island of Barbados, like it says in the article. It's a newly discovered species. Your local pet store owner wouldn't have known about it's existence up until now.

Also, snakes do not raise or protect their young. If you found a baby snake, its mother would not be lurking near by, nor would it care if you attacked it's offspring. They have no protective or parenting instincts once the eggs have hatched or the babies are born. The babies are on their own.

A snake is not a just snake. As the article states there are over 3,100 species. Most are completely harmless and if anything they can benefit humans by eating small rodents or even insects. They aren't out to get you and really want nothing to do with you. The first chance they get they will retreat to a dark warm place away from humans or any other threatening animals.

As for the poster who thinks they found one of these in their backyard. It is not this species of snake, it's something else. You shouldn't try to feed it. You're better off just putting it back in the garden. It may eat insects but it would probably be way toe stressed out in captivity to even try to eat.

[Anthony pace]

I live in San antonio texas, and I don't know what their called but I have to say i found one in my hallway and It's the smallest snake I've ever seen. this one coiled up is about the size of a dime...what should I do with it....concearned.

[Kelle Fincher]

I keep finding these little snakes in my house (Austin Texas), and when I did some research the little barbados snake is identical to the ones that i have found.... if they are from barbados how did they get here, or if they have been here all along, why isn't there more information about them?