What is the Smallest Snake in the World
Snakes are long, thin, carnivorous reptiles that are best known for being legless animals. They are often considered to be dangerous to humans as some species are capable of injecting venom that can kill a full grown adult in minutes. However, many species of snakes are nonvenomous and are completely harmless to humans. Snakes are found throughout most of the world, although they are not found in Antarctica and on some small land masses. They can live in a variety of habitats and are also found in the ocean. Most snakes are usually about 1 m (3 ft) in length, although some are much larger and smaller than this. Let’s find out which species of snake is the smallest in the world.
What is the smallest species of snake in the world?
The smallest snake species is the Barbados Threadsnake (Leptotyphlops carlae), which only reaches an average length of 10 cm (4 in) as a adult. The largest member of this species to be found was just 10.4 cm (4.09 in). They are also very thin and have a diameter of about 2.5 cm (1 in). The following is a picture of this small species of snake with an America quarter for size comparison.
This snake was discovered in 2008 by biologist S. Blair Hedges. The scientific name of the species was named in honor of his wife Carla, who was part of the team that discovered the snake. The snake is thought to be only found on the Caribbean island of Barbados and it is thought that there is only a few square kilometers of suitable habitat on the island. Scientists think that this species feeds mostly on termites and ant larvae. These snakes lay eggs and the juvenile snake is about half the size of the mother. Interestingly, the juvenile Barbados Threadsnake is larger than many other species of juvenile snakes!
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