Blind, tiny, and nearly gone! World's smallest snake returns after 20 years

In current times, when countless species are vanishing from our planet, the rediscovery of even the tiniest creature can give a ray of hope, and the stories of “lost” species making a comeback feel like little miracles.The species that was recently rediscovered is no bigger than a spaghetti noodle, and so elusive that confirmed sightings have been decades apart. Believed lost to science, it had been listed among the top 4,800 "lost species" by Re: wild’s Search for Lost Species initiative.

The tiniest snake returns after decades

Recently, the elusive Barbados threadsnake, the smallest snake in the world, was rediscovered during a field survey in March 2025 by conservationists from the Barbados Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification in collaboration with Re:wild, a global conservation organization.

The snake, long considered “lost to science,” had not had a confirmed sighting in nearly 20 years.The rediscovery occurred during an ecological survey under the CBER or Conserving Barbados’ Endemic Reptiles project. While searching under rocks in the forested Scotland District of Barbados, Connor Blades, project officer at the Ministry, and Justin Springer, Caribbean program officer for Re:wild, stumbled upon a tiny snake beneath a tree-root-covered rock.

“I was making a joke and in my head I said, ‘I smell a threadsnake,’” said Springer in an interview with Re:wild. “You can’t believe it. That’s how I felt. You don’t want to get your hopes up too high.”

These snakes are blind

Barbados threadsnakes are blind, tiny, cryptic, so they are often mistaken for earthworms or other invasive species like the Brahminy blind snake. "They're quite rare also, it seems. There have only been a handful of confirmed sightings since 1889," said Blades to Re:wild.

“There are not many people who have ever seen it, unfortunately.”Blades later confirmed the identification using a microscope at the University of the West Indies, noting the species’ distinct orange dorsal lines, side-placed eyes, and unique scale patterns. The snake was released back into the forest after examination.

It lays only a single egg at a time

This rediscovery is critical because Barbados has lost 98% of its primary forests since the colonial era, with endemic species like the Barbados skink and Barbados racer already declared extinct.

The tiny threadsnake, which lays only one egg at a time, is especially vulnerable to habitat destruction and invasive predators like the Indian mongoose.

“It’s an important reservoir for biodiversity on the island,” Blades said of the forest habitat. “If the threadsnake population isn’t very dense, I’m worried about their ability to find mates, particularly if their habitat is under threat.”As Springer said, “The threadsnake’s rediscovery is also a call to all of us as Barbadians that forests in Barbados are very special and need protection… for plants, animals and our heritage.”