Miniature Chameleons Discovered—Fit on Match Tip

[n2doc]

Match-tip tiny, Brookesia micra (juvenile pictured) is the smallest of four new chameleon species found on the African island country of Madagascar. With an average adult length of just over an inch (2.9 centimeters) from snout to tail, B. micra is among the tiniest reptiles in the world.

Scientists think the diminutive new chameleon species might represent extreme cases of island dwarfism, whereby organisms shrink in size due to limited resources on islands.

"The extreme miniaturization of these dwarf reptiles might be accompanied by numerous specializations of the body plan, and this constitutes a promising field for future research," study leader Frank Glaw of Germany's Zoological State Collection said in a statement.

The new chameleon species study was published this week in the journal PLoS ONE.



http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/pictures/120215-smallest-chameleons-new-species-madagascar-science/

[d_r]

1. amazing

almost seems like it would be too small to have enough cells to make organs, lol, if that makes any sense

[roguevalley]

7. gasp. *DIES*

how utterly cute is that.

[geckosfeet]

2. Island dwarfism - never heard the term.

But it makes some sense. In my visits to Hawaii I have taken note of the tiny ants and mosquitos and wondered about their size. Most other animals seem normal in size.

[tridim]

3. Don't show these to Japanese tweens.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

9. OR to ME!!!!!!!!

~*~*~SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~*~*~

[Skinner]

4. That is amazing.

[quakerboy]

5. I bet a herd of those

would be really handy if you had a fruit fly problem.

[OnyxCollie]

15. Is a group of miniature chameleons a "herd?"

Gaggle? Clutch? Murder? Pod?

[Beaverhausen]

16. all I know is, a herd of them would probably be the cutest thing ever

These little guys are so amazing.

[tclambert]

6. Giant match discovered on Madagascar!

It's as big as a Komodo dragon (pictured above). Also found: Gigantic fingernail.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

10. ....

[OldEurope]

8. This is the End.

The camel goes through the eye of a needle. So the rich can enter the kingdom of God.

O, wait, it´s not a camel.


Phew.

[Kyad06]

11. would make a good pet

Much easier to care for then the Uramastis and Bearded dragons my son was kind enough to stop taking care of. My wife is now in charge LOL.

[Motown_Johnny]

13. But if it ever got loose, how do you find something that can change colors

and is that small?

I am amazed they found them at all.

And what do you feed something that small? You must need tiny little ants or something.

[tclambert]

19. They only eat rhinoceroses

which are very hard for them to catch, explaining why there are so few of them.

[stevedeshazer]

12. I want one.

Which, actually, is the problem.

[FailureToCommunicate]

14. HEY! Don't call my boy "small"!!

It will hurt his feelings!

[XanaDUer]

17. I want one!

Not really I wouldn't know how to care for it but it is adorable

[DRoseDARs]

18. Right, so, I could either buy 500 of these for $1/ea, or one parrot for $500. *hnnnngh...*

Girls like swarms of lizards, right?

[suffragette]

20. So much of the world still for us to learn

Truly wonderful and adorable.

[Beacool]

21. Ahhhhh, it's so darn cute!!!!

He is so small, but perfectly formed. Look at the tiny claws.

[lob1]

22. If you Scotch taped a million of those all over your body,

would they blend in and look like you?

[OnyxCollie]

23. Cloak of invisibility.

Runs on fruit flies.

[Little Star]

24. How darn cute! k&r

[sinkingfeeling]

25. Talk about living in the land of giants! Poor little things.

[polly7]

26. So cute! nt.