Meet the nano-chameleon, which at about the size of a sunflower seed, fits on the tip of a finger and may be the smallest reptile on Earth
Finding such a small reptile raises interesting questions about the lower limits of body size in vertebrates. It also highlights the astonishing—and highly threatened—biodiversity of Madagascar. Scientists suspect the chameleon will soon be listed as critically endangered.Like other chameleons, this tiny reptile possesses a projectile tongue which it uses to nab prey.
So far, scientists have observed just two individuals: One male and one female, each of which was captured in 2012 on an expedition to a cluster of cool, rainy mountains known as the Sorata massif. Determining the age of male chameleons is a little more difficult, and requires a close examination of the animals’ genitals. As juveniles, the males’ genitals—known as hemipenes—look somewhat like smooth balloons, but they get more complex and adorned as they mature. Since this male did not have a “smooth balloon,” it’s likely not a juvenile, Scherz says. The smallest chameleons have relatively large genitals compared to related species that have bigger bodies, he adds.
“It’s like moving from a big house into a small apartment without getting rid of anything. That stuff has to go somewhere,” Gamble says.Unfortunately, the tiny chameleon’s future is murky. The mountain forest where the lizards are found is already severely degraded, Rakotoarison says.
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