After 20 years, the world's smallest snake has been spotted again in Barbados.

 

 

 The Barbados thread snake, a species so small it can be mistaken for an earthworm, has been spotted on the Caribbean island of Barbados, nearly 20 years after its last documented sighting.

The Barbados thread snake (Tetracheilostoma carlae) is the world's smallest snake, measuring between 8 and 10 centimeters (3.5 and 4 inches) when fully grown.

After more than a year of searching, this species of snake was spotted again under a stone in March 2025, during a mission by the Barbados Ministry of the Environment and the conservation organization Re:Wild.

"It has only been spotted a few times since 1889," said Conor Blades, a ministry official who participated in the mission, in a statement.

The Barbados thread snake is particularly vulnerable, as females lay only one egg at a time.

Justin Springer of the NGO Re:Wild emphasized that the re-spotting of this snake is "a reminder to Barbadians that the island's forests are very special and need to be protected."

Only 2% of the primary forest on this Caribbean island remains intact.