Scientists say they have discovered a subspecies of chameleon the size of sunflower seeds that could be the smallest reptile on Earth.
Two of the miniature lizards, one male and one female, were discovered by a German-Madagascar expedition team in northern Madagascar.
The male Brookesia nana, or nano-chameleon, has a body only 13.5 mm long, making it the smallest of the approximately 11,500 known species of reptiles, said the Bavarian Zoological Collection in Munich. Its total length from nose to tail is just under 22mm (0.87 inches).
The female nano-chameleon is significantly larger, with a total length of 29 mm, the research institute said, adding that scientists could not find other specimens of the new subspecies “despite great efforts.”
The closest relative of the species is the slightly larger Brookesia micra, whose discovery was announced in 2012.
Scientists assume that the lizard’s habitat is small, as is the case for similar subspecies.
“The nano-chameleon’s habitat has unfortunately been deforested, but the area has recently been placed under protection so the species will survive,” Oliver Hawlitschek, a scientist at the Hamburg Center for Natural History, said in a statement. .