In an astonishing discovery, scientists have come to found out the existence of what is being termed as the smallest reptile on the planet Earth. The male Brookesia nana or how it is being referred to as a nano-chameleon has a body of just 13.5 mm length. It is so small that it can be compared to the size of a seed.
The length of the nano-chameleon is just 22 mm or 0.86 inches from the top to the tail. According to the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Munich, this small length means that it is the smallest of all known species of reptiles. It should be noted that there are about 11,500 known species of reptiles.
Two members of these tiny reptiles were discovered in the African country of Madagascar by German-Madagascan team. Other specimens of this species were not located yet despite great efforts on the part of the scientists. They said that the female of the species is bigger and can have a length of around 29 mm.
The scientists responsible for its discovery said that the nano-chameleon hunts for mites on the floor of the rainforest. They added that it would hide in the blades of grass to save itself from predators at nighttime.
The scientists have pointed out that the new chameleon species may be facing the threat of extinction, which is a cause of worry.
BBC quoted Oliver Hawlitschek, who is a scientist at the Centre of Natural History in Hamburg, as saying, "The nano-chameleon's habitat has unfortunately been subject to deforestation, but the area was placed under protection recently, so the species will survive."
A report in the Scientific Reports Journal said that the nano-chameleon was only found in a degraded montane rainforest in the northern regions of Madagascar and it "might be threatened by extinction."
The scientists have recommended that the nano-chameleon should be placed in the list of critically endangered species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This would help protect its habitat and continued survival.
The intriguing factor about the nano-chameleon is that it showcases "a spectacular case of extreme miniaturisation," in the words of one of the researchers who were involved in its discovery.
Dr Mark Scherz said, in a blog post, "So this tiny new chameleon violates the pattern of the smallest species being found on small islands. That suggests that something else is allowing/causing these chameleons to miniaturise."
