Antiguan Racer

The Antiguan racer (Alsophis antiguae) is a slender, non-venomous colubrid snake once thought to be among the rarest reptiles on Earth. Adults display a chocolate-brown to grey-brown body patterned with darker blotches that fade with age, and they rely on keen eyesight and quick movement to hunt lizards, particularly Anolis skinks and geckos, in leaf litter and low vegetation. Historically found throughout Antigua and its surrounding islets, the species was decimated by the introduction of the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) in the late 19th century, along with black rats that preyed on juveniles and competed for food.

By the 1990s, the entire global population was confined to a single population on Great Bird Island, a tiny offshore islet free of mongooses, where numbers had collapsed to fewer than 50 individuals. The species is currently classified as Critically Endangered (CR) by the IUCN, reflecting its extremely restricted range and history of near-extinction. Conservation intervention has been remarkably successful: the Antiguan Racer Conservation Project, led by the Antigua and Barbuda government in partnership with Fauna & Flora International and Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, eradicated invasive rats and mongooses from Great Bird Island and several additional offshore islets, enabling translocation of racers to expand their range.

As a result, the population has grown from historic lows into the hundreds, and the population trend is now recorded as increasing—a rare conservation success story for a Critically Endangered reptile. Continued biosecurity monitoring, habitat restoration, and invasive species surveillance remain essential to prevent reinvasion and support the species' long-term recovery across its expanding island network.

The Antiguan racer inhabits dry coastal scrubland and rocky shoreline areas on Great Bird Island, preferring areas with dense vegetation cover for shelter and hunting. The species utilizes both terrestrial and semi-arboreal microhabitats within this extremely limited 2.5-hectare range.