Latest news with #MinistryOfEnvironment
The Sun
a day ago
- Science
- The Sun
Mysterious record-breaking snake that vanished for DECADES finally found after creature spotted ‘hiding under a rock'
A RECORD-breaking snake lost to science for nearly two decades has finally resurfaced on the island of Barbados. The Barbados threadsnake - the smallest snake in the world - was rediscovered under a rock during an ecological survey in March. The tiny reptile can coil itself to the size of a coin, and had been on a global list of 4,800 lost plant, animal and fungi species compiled by biodiversity organisation Re:wild. The Barbados Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification had been searching for the threadsnake and several other native reptiles for more than a year. 'Barbados threadsnakes are blind snakes, so they're very cryptic,' said Connor Blades, a project officer with the Ministry of Environment in Barbados, who helped rediscover the threadsnake. 'They're quite rare also, it seems. There have only been a handful of confirmed sightings since 1889, so there are not many people who have ever seen it, unfortunately.' The small serpent is at the limit of how small a snake can be, measuring only about three to four inches long when it is fully grown. Experts have long known that the Barbados threadsnake was an elusive species - with each confirmed sighting having several decades between them. The threadsnake also closely resembles the Brahminy blind snake, also known as the or flowerpot snake - which makes identifying them difficult. Scientists often need a magnifying glass to tell them apart. The Barbados threadsnake reproduces sexually and females lay a clutch of only one egg, while the Brahminy blind snake can produce fertile eggs without mating - a phenomenon called parthenogenesis. 'I began to look over the snake and it was clear to me that I really needed to take it to a microscope to get a proper look at it,' added Blades. 'The morphological differences between the threadsnake and blind snake are really difficult to tell by eye, particularly because it was the first threadsnake we had seen, so we weren't familiar with the species yet.' Meet the army of snake hunters prowling Brit holiday island for 7ft serpents 'leaving tourists too scared to go in sea' Blades, alongside Justin Springer, Caribbean programme officer for Re:wild, were looking under rocks for any signs of tiny threadsnakes during the survey in March. One rock trapped under a tree root caught their eye. 'I was making a joke and in my head I said, 'I smell a threadsnake,'' said Springer. 'I just had a feeling, but I couldn't be sure because we turned over a lot of rocks before that and we saw nothing.' To their surprise, they found a tiny threadsnake. 'When you are so accustomed to looking for things and you don't see them, you are shocked when you actually find it,' added Springer. 'You can't believe it. That's how I felt. You don't want to get your hopes up too high.' The snake was then taken to the University of the West Indies and examined under a microscope to confirm its identity before being returned to its forest in central Barbados. It had all the characteristics of a threadsnake - pale orange dorsal lines running from its head to tail, eyes located on the side of its head, a rostral scale on its nose and no gland lines on its head. The CBER project is set to continue surveying the island to better understand the threadsnake's habitat range. This way it can design conservation actions to protect it. The most recently found threadsnake was found in the forest, which only cover a small area of Barbados. Some 98 per cent of the island's primary forest has been cut down for agriculture over the past 500 years. 'It's an important reservoir for biodiversity on the island,' said Blades referring to the forests where the threadsnake was found. 'If the threadsnake population isn't very dense, I'm worried about their ability to find mates—particularly if their habitat is under threat and being degraded.' 2
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
First snakes, now moths — Species at risk continue to delay big east Windsor project
Another species at risk is delaying construction work on a massive project on Windsor's east-side. The reversed haploa moth is a medium-sized moth composed of brown bands and white patches. It's been found in parts of southwestern Ontario, including Windsor-Essex, Lambton County, London and Norfolk County. The species is currently categorized as "threatened," in the province's species at risk list and could become endangered, according to Ontario's environment ministry. That said, it still falls within the province's endangered species act. It's been discovered in the area of the Banwell Road corridor and E.C. Row Expressway overpass project, near the NextStar electric vehicle battery factory on the city's east-side. All in, the work is expected to cost more than $100 million. In June, CBC News first reported endangered Butler's gartersnakes were found in the same area grinding work to a halt. The all-clear would be given from the province once all of the snakes had been tracked and moved to a nearby similar habitat. Lindsay Davidson, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, says the moth has also now been identified within the footprint of the projects. And that they're working with the city to consider an amendment under the endangered species act. "If approved, the amendment would include conditions and requirements that permit for impacts to reversed haploa moth and its habitat, and to enable additional survey days for the relocation of Butler's gartersnake," he said in a statement. "In areas of the project site where reversed haploa moth and its habitat have not been identified, and where snake surveys have been completed during the appropriate timing, the city of Windsor may proceed with vegetation clearing (primarily within areas located on the west side of Banwell Road)," Davidson added. The city did not reply to CBC News after a request for comment. Earlier this month, Gary Wheeler with the ministry told CBC News snakes were still being located in the area during surveys, and that there must be five consecutive survey days where none are found to help ensure they've all been relocated. Stacey McGuire, Windsor's executive director of municipal engineering, said in mid-June the initial discovery of the snakes set the city back a "few months." At that time, she added the hope was for everything to be built and open around summer 2027.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
First snakes, now moths — Species at risk continue to delay big east Windsor project
Social Sharing Another species at risk is delaying construction work on a massive project on Windsor's east-side. The reversed haploa moth is a medium-sized moth composed of brown bands and white patches. It's been found in parts of southwestern Ontario, including Windsor-Essex, Lambton County, London and Norfolk County. The species is currently categorized as "threatened," in the province's species at risk list and could become endangered, according to Ontario's environment ministry. That said, it still falls within the province's endangered species act. It's been discovered in the area of the Banwell Road corridor and E.C. Row Expressway overpass project, near the NextStar electric vehicle battery factory on the city's east-side. All in, the work is expected to cost more than $100 million. In June, CBC News first reported endangered Butler's gartersnakes were found in the same area grinding work to a halt. The all-clear would be given from the province once all of the snakes had been tracked and moved to a nearby similar habitat. Lindsay Davidson, a spokesperson for the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, says the moth has also now been identified within the footprint of the projects. And that they're working with the city to consider an amendment under the endangered species act. "If approved, the amendment would include conditions and requirements that permit for impacts to reversed haploa moth and its habitat, and to enable additional survey days for the relocation of Butler's gartersnake," he said in a statement. "In areas of the project site where reversed haploa moth and its habitat have not been identified, and where snake surveys have been completed during the appropriate timing, the city of Windsor may proceed with vegetation clearing (primarily within areas located on the west side of Banwell Road)," Davidson added. The city did not reply to CBC News after a request for comment. Earlier this month, Gary Wheeler with the ministry told CBC News snakes were still being located in the area during surveys, and that there must be five consecutive survey days where none are found to help ensure they've all been relocated. Stacey McGuire, Windsor's executive director of municipal engineering, said in mid-June the initial discovery of the snakes set the city back a "few months." At that time, she added the hope was for everything to be built and open around summer 2027.
Arab News
6 days ago
- Science
- Arab News
World's smallest snake makes big comeback
WASHINGTON: A snake so small it could be mistaken for a worm has been spotted in Barbados, nearly two decades after it was thought to have been 'lost' to science. The Barbados threadsnake was found hiding under a rock in central Barbados during an ecological survey in March by the Barbados Ministry of the Environment and National Beautification and conservation group Re:wild. 'Barbados threadsnakes are blind snakes, so they're very cryptic,' said Connor Blades, a project officer with the Ministry of Environment in Barbados who helped make the finding, in a statement. 'They're quite rare also, it seems. There have only been a handful of confirmed sightings since 1889, so there are not many people who have ever seen it, unfortunately.' Measuring just three to four inches long when fully grown — tiny enough to almost fit on a US quarter coin — the Barbados threadsnake is the world's smallest species of snake. It is distinguished by orange stripes along its back, eyes on the sides of its head and a small scale on its snout. 'When you are so accustomed to looking for things and you don't see them, you are shocked when you actually find it,' said Justin Springer of Re:wild, who made the discovery alongside Blades. 'You can't believe it. That's how I felt. You don't want to get your hopes up too high.' The breakthrough came after more than a year of searching, as the pair upturned rocks trapped beneath a tree root. The tiny snake, which was found alongside an earthworm, was taken to the University of West Indies for careful examination under a microscope — it closely resembles the Brahminy blind snake, an invasive species, so the finding had to be validated — before it was returned to the forest. Only two percent of the Caribbean island's primary forest remains intact, with the rest cleared for agriculture since the start of the colonial era 400 years ago. The Barbados threadsnake remains particularly vulnerable since it reproduces sexually and females lay a clutch of only one egg. Female Brahminy blind snakes, by contrast, can produce fertile eggs without mating. 'The threadsnake's rediscovery is also a call to all of us as Barbadians that forests in Barbados are very special and need protection,' said Springer. 'Not just for the threadsnake, but for other species as well. For plants, animals and our heritage.'
The Independent
24-07-2025
- Science
- The Independent
World's smallest snake thought to be extinct
The Barbados threadsnake, the world's smallest snake, has been rediscovered after nearly two decades, having last been seen in 2006. Previously feared extinct and listed as 'lost to science', the tiny reptile was found by Connor Blades of the Barbados Ministry of Environment in March this year. The snake, which is blind, burrows, eats termites and ants, and measures up to four inches, was confirmed by Blades after careful identification. Its rediscovery was announced by the Reconservation group, which is collaborating with the local environment ministry. Scientists hope the rediscovery of the Barbados threadsnake will champion efforts for wildlife habitat protection.
