A new chameleon species may be the world’s tiniest reptile
FACTS ABOUT THIS NEW SPECIES
Facts About Brookesia Nana
- Found in Madagascar, Brookesia nana is less than 30 millimeters long
- Dubbed B. nana for its nano size, the species belongs to a genus of at least 13 other small chameleons spread out across the mountainous forests of northern Madagascar.
- It hunts for mites on the rainforest floor and hides from predators at night in blades of grass.
- Brookesia nana, also known as the nano-chameleon.
- The female measured roughly 28.9 millimeters or 1.13 inches long, while the male was smaller, at 21.6 millimeters or a little less than an inch long.
SCIENTISTS HAVE DISCOVERED a tiny new species of chameleon in a patch of rainforest in northern Madagascar. This so-called nano-chameleon is about the size of a sunflower seed, fits on the tip of a finger, and may be the smallest reptile on Earth.
What Do Brookesia Nana Eat?
According to National Geographic, these tiny reptiles possess a projectile tongue which it uses to nab their prey. The creatures have found a successful niche in their native habitat, hunting by day on the rainforest floor and retreating to the safety of grass blades at night.
Researchers suspect that the reptiles eat mites and other invertebrates, while at night they cling to blades of grass and other plants.
How Big is the Nano-Chameleon? (Brookesia Nana)
The male has a total length of 22 mm and the body is just 13.5 mm long. So it is the smallest adult reptile ever found.
How Does the Brookesia Nano-Chameleon Hide?
All dwarf chameleons are well camouflaged in their habitat in the leaf litter of the forest floor. This is true for the Nano-Chameleon as well as for the related species. Furthermore, they move very slowly, so that predators have only a small chances to discover them.
Where does the Brookesia Nana live?
Brookesia Nana live in Sorata. Like most other dwarf chameleons, the aka Nano-Chameleon occurs in a small area in northern Madagascar. Many of the remaining forests are located in remote areas and it takes days on the road to reach the habitat of the Nano Chameleon.