Rarest Snake in the World!

Saint Lucia Racer Adult

It is always a shame when an animal is on the brink of extinction. I feel that it is important to jump at the chance to talk about these creatures to raise awareness towards them while they are still on this earth. On my quest, I found the rarest snake of all time (on the Internet of course). The lucky snake -is you want to call it that- is the Saint Lucia Racer snake. Their scientific name is Liophis Ornatus. These snakes were actually declared to be extinct in 1936, but were later rediscovered in 1973. There are only 18 known specimens surviving today. They have managed to stay alive by staying at 30 acre area of land that has remained mongoose free off the coast of Saint Lucia which is a rather dry and desert like terrain.

Saint Lucia Racer Hatchling

They survive off of the diet of lizard eggs and amphibians. They don't have very many means of protecting themselves. They are rather small, reaching a maximum size of one meter, and are nonvenomous. They mainly depend on their camouflage. They are most easily identified by their short tail and a dark brown stripe that travels from the length of their head to their tail. Their short snout may also have a decoration of yellow spots against their brown or olive green skin (when molting) that matches their yellowish-white underbelly. To keep these little snakes alive, conservationists have been working hard to maintain the natural habitat of the St. Lucia Racer while maintaining awareness about the struggle. I encourage you to look at any of the links below to become better informed on the situation.

Links: http://listverse.com/2014/09/14/top-10-rarest-snakes-in-the-world/

         http://www.fauna-flora.org/news/the-saint-lucia-racer-takes-the-title-of-world%E2%80%99s-rarest-snake/

         http://www.arkive.org/saint-lucia-racer/liophis-ornatus/