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Friday 18 august 2023 locAl
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            Episode 37

            Get to know Aruba’s small snake



            The  world’s  smallest  snake                                                                                       mites.  In  contrast  to  larger
            species,  which  adult’s  av-                                                                                       species  —  some  of  which
            erage  size  is  just  beneath                                                                                      can  lay  up  to  100  eggs  in
            four  inches  in  length  and                                                                                       a single clutch — the small-
            0.11811  inches  in  diam-                                                                                          est snakes and the smallest
            eter,  has  been  discovered                                                                                        of  other  types  of  animals
            on  the  Caribbean  island                                                                                          usually lay only one egg or
            of  Aruba  some  years  ago.                                                                                        give birth to one offspring.
            Encountering  this  species                                                                                         The  Aruban  variety  is  no
            which  is  as  thin  as  a  spa-                                                                                    exception to this pattern. It
            ghetti  noodle  and  small                                                                                          produces  a  single  slender
            enough to rest in the palm                                                                                          egg that occupies a signifi-
            of your hand, is becoming                                                                                           cant  portion  of  the  moth-
            very frequent by our cura-                                                                                          er’s  body.  “If  a  tiny  snake
            tor Anthony Croes, who ad-                                                                                          were to have two offspring,
            vocates  the  goals  of  Etnia                                                                                      each  egg  could  occupy
            Nativa to share and protect                                                                                         only  half  the  space  that  is
            our natural richness.                                                                                               devoted  to  reproduction
                                                                                                                                within its body.”q
            Leptotyphlops carlae         average  size.  Using  these  hatchlings  of  the  largest  it is related the snake feeds
            Our  curator  has  found  this   methods  could  determine  snakes  are  only  one-tenth  primarily  on  earth  worms   Source; Island Insight column
            snake  variety  that  lives  in   if  this  species  could  be  the length of an adult. Tiny  and larvae of ants and ter-        by Etnia Nativa
            tiny cavities in the limestone   unique  to  Aruba.  A  snake  snakes  produce  only  one
            flats,  alongside  the  South   of this same specie was dis-  massive  egg  —  relative  to
            and  North-Western  part  of   covered  by  Blair  Hedges,  the  size  of  the  mother  —
            the  island  bordering  the   an evolutionary biologist in  which  suggests  that  natu-
            salt lake that ends or starts   2008 on the island of Barba-  ral  selection  is  trying  to
            in the Malmok area. There    dos and the nearby island  keep the size of hatchlings
            we find the top layer of the   of St. Lucia. He named the  above a critical limit in or-
            limestone plateau that has   one  discovered  on  Barba-  der for them to survive
            deprived of its original veg-  dos  Tetracheilostoma  car-
            etation  by  heavy  equip-   lae  or  Leptotyphlops  car-  Biologists  think  the  Barba-
            ment  for  housing  projects.   lae, which is the smallest of  dos snake may be at or near
            Turned  over  and  tumbled   the more than 3,100 known  the  minimum  possible  size
            rocks  exposed  the  under-  snake species on the plan-   for  snakes,  though  cannot
            ground  part  of  the  lime-  et.                         say for sure that no smaller
            stone  showing  holes  and                                species exists — several oth-
            cavities that form the ideal   Aruba`s  Xerophil  vegeta-  er snake species are nearly
            hunting  and  living  bio-   tion,  which  grows  on  the  as small. While it is possible
            sphere for the small snake.  topsoil  that  covers  old  is-  that  a  smaller  species  ex-
                                         land lime stone plateaus.    ists, finding such an animal
            Limestone  hole  and  small                               is unlikely. “Snakes may be
            channels and cavities        The  smallest  animals  have  prevented  by  natural  se-
            Etnia  Nativa`s  concern  is   young that are proportion-  lection from becoming too
            that  the  Aruban  species  is   ately  enormous  relative  to  small  because,  below  a
            new to science and there-    the  adults.  The  hatchlings  certain  size,  there  may  be
            fore its importance is unac-  are  one-half  the  length  nothing  for  their  young  to
            knowledged  but  is  might   of  an  adult,  whereas  the  eat.”  Like  others  to  which
            be  vital  in  Aruba’s  ecosys-
            tem.  Studies  based  on  its
            genetic most probably dif-
            ferences  from  other  snake
            species and its unique color
            pattern and scales. It is also
            stated  that  some  old  mu-
            seum  specimens  that  had
            been misidentified by other
            scientists actually belong to
            this new species.

            Scientists  use  adults  to
            compare sizes among ani-
            mals  because  the  sizes  of
            adults do not vary as much
            as the sizes of juveniles and
            because  juveniles  can  be
            harder  to  find.  In  addition,
            scientists  seek  to  measure
            both males and females of
            a  species  to  determine  its
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