Juveniles of this newly discovered species can stand on the end of a match. Yes. That's a match!
From OurAmazingPlanet:
A species of chameleon small enough to easily perch on a match head has been discovered on a tiny island off Madagascar, a group of scientists has announced.
In addition to the discovery of Brookesia micra, now the tiniest chameleon ever discovered, the researchers also announced the discovery of three additional tiny chameleon species.
Adult males of the B. micra species grow to only just over a half-inch (16 millimeters) from nose to bottom, making them one of the smallest vertebrates ever found on Earth.
From nose to tail, adults of both sexes grow to only 1 inch (30 mm) in length.
Lead researcher Frank Glaw said the team already had experience finding tiny lizards in Madagascar, “but it was also good luck.”
The team searched for the tiny lizards under the cover of darkness, using headlamps and flashlights to seek out the sleeping chameleons. All four species are active during the day, and at night climb up into the branches to sleep.
But for such tiny critters, “up into the branches” means a mere 4 inches (10 centimeters) off the ground, Glaw told OurAmazingPlanet, so finding them is no easy task. However, once spotted, the tiny lizards aren’t tough to catch, Glaw said.
“They are sleeping and you can just pick them up. It’s like picking a strawberry, so it’s easy,” Glaw said. “They do not move at all at night.”
The team of scientists found the tiny reptiles in Madagascar’s wild northern regions during expeditions between 2003 and 2007. For three of the species, “we immediately identified them as new species,” said Glaw, a veteran herpetologist and curator at the Museum of Natural History in Munich.
“In general, these tiny chameleons are so small that it’s really hard to see the small differences with the naked eye,” he said.
The researchers warn that at least two of the newly-discovered chameleon species are extremely threatened because of habitat loss and deforestation in Madagascar.
Glaw, who has been going to Madagascar to research its ever-expanding list of amphibians and reptiles for a quarter century, said that B. micra may represent the limit of miniaturization possible for a vertebrate with complex eyes, but said it’s impossible to know for sure since each time scientists have proclaimed the discovery of the tiniest one yet, another, tinier species appears.
“Maybe there’s a potential for a smaller species,” Glaw said.
Another group of researchers recently announced the discovery of the world’s smallest frog species in Papua New Guinea. The scientists also declared it the world’s smallest vertebrate, but others contend that a species of angler fish is the smallest vertebrate yet discovered on Earth.
Glaw is planning another expedition to the region of Madagascar in November.
“I’m sure there are many surprises awaiting discovery,” he said.
The research is published in the Feb. 15 issue of the open access journal PLoS ONE.
These three little chameleons are causing quite a stir on the internets.
Last night, I posted a link to the BBC’s article on them. Then, I had two other people send me links, one from Der Spiegel and another that was a link to the same BBC article.
These things certainly do capture the imagination!
I had friends who keep these. Keeping them hydrated is crucial; otherwise, their body mass is too small to be in a dry environment.
I see a new must have pet fad looming over the horizon.
Pocket sized terrariums anyone?
I’m afraid that it will become a fad–and so easy to smuggle in too!
BTW Scottie: More evolution in action! A native parasitic fly (Apocephalus borealis) know for parasitizing Bumblebees & Paper Wasps, has evolved to parasitize European honeybees in the US. They may be a major factor in colony collapse. Check out this report at: http://www.howardcountybeekeepers.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356:zombie-fly-parasite-killing-honeybees&catid=35:frontpage
Oh gosh I love these. We had dwarf/pygmy chameleons living in our garden in the highlands of Africa. They were two – three inches long as adults and substantially smaller as hatchlings. We used to gently play with hatchlings all soft and nymph like.
These tiny ones from Madagascar I almost cant imagine, wonder what their hatchlings and eggs must look like?
Ours used to sit in my mothers daisies and catch insects drawn by the pollen including bees and small beetles. Inevitably one would end up in the drawing room in a flower arrangement. They blow up and hiss turning dark black and white striped opening their mouths wide exposing bright orange throats when angry causing my mum on many occasions to scream out in fright as she fiddled with her flower arranging.
I find it incredible that there are any left on Madagascar as they must be so easy to crush under foot even in a reserve, its not a big reserve in fact its quite a tiny island off the main island thats seen some destruction of flora.
Long may they roam the forest floors. I hope they don’t end up as smuggled pets and unless they breed incredibly easily and are easy to keep in captivity as pets at all.