A new species of Leaf Chameleons (Brookesia) from northern Madagasar have been discovered and they are the tiniest in the world. Adult males of the species grow to just over a half-inch (16 mm) from nose to bottom and about 1 inch (30 mm) from nose to tail. This makes them one of the smallest vertebrates ever found on Earth! Two smaller vertebrates include the male angler fish and a tropical frog (shown below).
The team of researchers, led by Frank Glaw, searched for the tiny lizards at night as they slept. While they sleep ‘up’ in the branches, those branches are a mere 4 inches (10 cm) off the ground (still a distance at their size!). The team found the tiny reptiles in the northern region of Madagascar during expeditions between 2003 and 2007.
For the full scientific article, be sure to visit the open access journal PLoS one.
Sources
– PLoS ONE: Rivaling the World’s Smallest Reptiles
– Live Science: World’s Tiniest Chameleon Discovered
– Live Science: Small Claims – Big Debate Over Tiniest Creature Title
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