Despite looking a little like a worm, the threadsnake is definitely a snake — it has tiny scales, a forked tongue, and the long slender body shape that all snakes share. Its official scientific name is Tetracheilostoma carlae. Scientists named it after Blair Hedges's wife, Carla, who also studies animals.
Threadsnakes feed on the eggs and larvae of ants and termites, which are just the right size for such a tiny predator. They find their meals by following the scent trails of insects underground and beneath fallen leaves. Their small size lets them wriggle into very tight spaces that larger snakes could never reach.
Because threadsnakes are so tiny and well camouflaged, they are rarely seen by people. Scientists believe they must be quite specialised — living in a very particular habitat — which is one reason they are found only in Barbados. Discoveries like this remind us that even a small island can hide creatures completely new to science.