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February 12, 2020 | The Clarion Arts & Life Page 3 The Barbados Threadsnake By Solomon Turner Contributor The Barbados Threadsnake, Tetracheilostoma carlae, is the absolute smallest snake in the world. This snake is native to the Caribbean island of Barbados and its measured size is a whopping 4.09 inches long. Even if you have a fear of snakes it’s hard to look at this one and not think it’s at least a little cute. According to World Atlas and Encyclopedia Britannica, this newly discovered tiny, spaghetti like snake weighs 0.6 grams and is 10 cm long on average. This makes T. carlae about the same size as many worms, if not smaller. These snakes are oviparous and lay only one tiny egg that looks roughly identical to a grain of rice. When they hatch, the offspring are almost half the size of the mother. This is huge compared to the 1 /10 size ratio most baby snakes are to their mothers. Since their discovery and documentation in 2008 by Stephen Blair Hedges, a herpetologist at Penn State University, very little has been understood of their life habits. It is inferred due to their size that these fossorial, or burrowing snakes feed mainly on termites, ants and other insect larvae. According to the lUCN Red List, this snake is Critically Endangered and has a huge need for conservative measures. There are about 10 square kilometers, 120 acres or 3.8 square miles left of forest on the island. The remaining forest covers less area than the entire city of Brevard. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the lack of forested land is due to colonization by the English in the seventeenth century which resulted in the conversion of forests to agricultural land. There is also concern that the invasive Flowerpot Blindsnake from Asia could continue to drive this miniscule snake toward extinction. Without active conservation efforts being taken, it seems likely that this species will join the ever growing list of extinct organisms. Courtesy of Stephen Blair Threadsnake on quarter. 'Not Acquiter' By Sam Hipp staff Writer Monarch butterfly activist found dead By Solomon Turner Contributor Homero Gomez Gonzalez, who disappeared Jan. 13, was found dead, with coworker Raul Hernandez Romero being found days after. This came as a shock to many environmental groups in both Mexico and the United States, prompting responses from the Mexican President, World Heritage Center and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). According to The Washington Post, Gonzalez grew up in a logging family and became a prominent figure in Monarch Conservation throughout Mexico. He was an agricultural engineer, was commissioner for the community of El Rosario, and of course was an avid Monarch environmentalist. He was also director of the El Rosario sanctuary which is part of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve and the only public monarch sanctuary in Mexico. Millions of monarchs overwinter in the Mexican State of Michoacan and hibernate in a small region of densely forested hilltops. However, prolific logging in the area has almost destroyed the Monarchs fir and pine forest habitat causing a major decline in their population. Only through the efforts of conservationists like Gonzalez have those numbers recently increased. After the Mexican Government outlawed logging in the area tensions between loggers and conventionalists rose and according to Time, fellow activists are fearful for their own safety and efforts as they do not have the education and public speaking experience that Gonzalez did. According to CNN, conflict with Illegal logging in the area due to his conservationist work may be the reason for this death although local authorities have yet to confirm this connection, as prosecutors are still investigating his death. It is known however, that his body was found in a retaining pond near the preserve and autopsy reports, according to CNN, state that he had suffered from asphyxiation and head trauma. Gonzalez’s death, along with the deaths of 37 environmental activists in Mexico since 2017 shows a concerning situation of either leniency or inadequate protection for conservation efforts. Gonzalez’s brother Amado Gomez in a quote from Time states, “I would like to ask the authorities to do their job and do more to protect activists like my brother, because lately in Mexico, a lot of activists have died.”
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