Scientists have discovered one of the smallest reptile species in the world. The dwarf chameleon from Masagascar, Brookesia micra, only grows to a maximum of 29mm in total length - juveniles are able to sit comfortably on the head of a match. While the team of biologists from Germany and America discovered three other miniaturised chameleons in the north of Madagascar, the Brookesia micra is distinctly smaller. The team, lead by researcher Frank Glaw, searched under the cover of darkness during expeditions between 2003 and 2007. The report on their findings has been published this week in the journal PLoS One. "It is not accidental that the smallest species of a given taxonomic group often occur on islands," says Frank Glaw of the Zoologische Staatssammung in Munich. "It is a typical and well known phenomenon." A remarkable number of miniaturised species live in Madagascar, including the recently discovered frog that is allegedly the world's smallest vertebrate species. All four new species of chameleons inhabit extremely small ranges, sometimes limited to a few square kilometres. As such, they are believed to be highly threatened by ongoing deforestation on the island fuelled by illegal logging. "One of the new species, Brookesia desperata, is known only from a small rainforest remnant, and although this area is officially protected, it has suffered severe habitat degradation," explained Jörn Köhler of the Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt to Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. Two of the newly discovered chameleons were named in an effort to highlight their plight – desperata (desperate) and tristis (sad).
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