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A team of international scientists has found a minuscule chameleon in Northen Madagascar that is believed to be the smallest reptile in the world.
The newest discovered chameleon is called the
Brookesia nana (B.nana) that is extremely tiny that the adult male measures less than an inch including its tail and is considered to be the smallest reptile among the 11,500 known reptile species. The females are a bit larger than the males, at about three-quarters of an inch from vent to snout.
The team published their study on January 29 this year in the journal Scientific Reports.
(Photo : Scientific Reports)
Ridiculously Tiny Chameleons Discovered in Madagascar
Photo: Glaw et al, Scientific Reports 2021
Researchers have found a minuscule chameleon in Northern Madagascar, which they believe to be the smallest reptile on the planet. Small body, big attitude just look at that face.
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B. nana (if you squint, it does kind of look like a banana)
. Females of the species are larger than males, at about three-quarters of an inch from snout to vent. The new record holders are the adult males, which are less than an inch including the tail. Oh, and the males also have huge hemipenes (genitals) in proportion to their size. The team’s findings were published today in the journal Scientific Reports.
Scientists say they have found an elusive chameleon species that was last spotted in Madagascar 100 years ago.
Researchers from Madagascar and Germany said they had discovered several living specimens of Voeltzkow’s chameleon during an expedition to the north west of the African island nation.
In a report published in the journal Salamandra, the team led by scientists from the Bavarian Natural History Collections ZSM said genetic analysis determined that the species is closely related to the Labord’s chameleon.
(SNSB/Frank Glaw/AP)
Researchers believe both reptiles only live during the rainy season hatching from eggs, growing rapidly, sparring with rivals, mating and then dying during a few short months.