Five years of conserving the ‘world's rarest snake’, the Antiguan racer Alsophis antiguae

摘要: Abstract The Critically Endangered Antiguan racer Alsophis antiguae is confined to Great Bird Island, a 9.9 ha (24.5-acre) islet off the north-east coast of Antigua in Lesser Antilles. This island represents well under 0.1 per cent species's historical distribution range. During past 5 years, total number racers aged 1 year or more has fluctuated between 51 and 114, currently stands at approximately 80. Since 1995, Racer Conservation Project (ARCP) en-deavoured save this harmless snake from extinction by using combination education, conservation breeding, habitat restoration, local capacity building applied research. racer's ecology population dynamics have become understood after years intensive study, species evidently benefited project's rat eradication programme. snakes are still seriously threatened other intrinsic extrinsic factors, however, including inbreeding depression, frequent hurricanes, invasive predators deliberate killing tourists, as problem that Island too small support than about 100 individuals. paper describes activities impact project date, outlines series safeguard long-term future species, which include reintroduction restored islands within its former