One of the world's tiniest lizards has been discovered by keen-eyed researchers in Madagascar. The miniature chameleon, Brookesia Micra, reaches a maximum lenght of just 29mm
According to BBC reports, German scientists also found a further three new species in the north of the island.
But the lizards were limited to very small ranges and scientists are concerned they could be a risk from habitat disturbance.
Dr Frank Glas, who led the team for the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich, said; "They mostly live in the leaf litter in the day but an night they climb up and they you can spot them." The dwarf chameleons move up into branches to sleep.
The scientists carefully scanned the most likely habitats with torches to find roosting sites. They found the smallest species on a remote limestone islet and believe it may represent an extreme case of island dwarfism.
The BBC says this phenomenon occurs when a species becomes smaller over evolutionary time in order to adapt to a restricted habitat
Sat Mar 17, 2012 9:57 am
