Nano-chameleon discovered in Madagascar

Two tiny lizards, one male Brookesia nana, or nano-chameleon a body of just 13.5mm, with its length from top to tail only 22mm, the other female 29mm were discovered by a German-Madagascan expedition team in Madagascar.  This makes the smallest of about 11, 500 known species of reptiles according to the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich

The new chameleon is only known from a degraded montane rainforest in northern Madagascar and might be threatened by extinction according to the Scientific Reports journal.

Oliver Hawlitsvchek, a scientist at the Centre of Natural History in Hamburg, said “the nano-chameleon’s habitat has unfortunately been subject to deforestation, but the area was placed under protection recently, so the species will survive.”

Dr. Mark Scherz, one of the researchers involved in the discovery called it “a spectacular case of extreme miniaturisation. The forests where the Brookesia were located are still well connected with others across the north of the island. So this tiny new chameleon violates the pattern of the smallest species being found on small islands which suggests causing these chameleons to miniaturise” he added.