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    Tetracheilostoma

    The genus contains the world’s smallest snake

    Tetracheilostoma is a genus of thread snakes that contains three species in total, all of which are endemic to the islands of Barbados. As the name suggests, these snakes are called thread snakes because they are both very small and thin in width. They typically range in length between 10cm (3.9 in) and 10.4cm (4 in). Scientists have described the snake as having a width “about as broad as a spaghetti noodle.”

    These tiny snakes usually survive on a diet of termites and ant larvae. Eggs are the means through which thread snakes reproduce. This kind of snake only lays one very giant egg at a time. The length of the newborn is around half that of its mother.