UPSC Articles
World’s Smallest Reptile discovered in Madagascar
Part of: GS Prelims and GS- III – Biodiversity
In news
- A chameleon discovered in Madagascar by scientists from Germany and Madagascar may be the world’s smallest adult reptile.
- The discovery has been reported in the journal Scientific Reports.
Key takeaways
- The team found one male and one female of the species, named Brookesia nana, during an expedition in 2012.
- The male has a length (snout to vent) of 13.5 mm and a total length of 21.6 mm when the tail is included.
- Previously, the chameleon species Brookesia Micra was thought to be the smallest.
Do you know?
- The longest, the reticulated python, at 6.25 m is almost as long as 289 Brookesia nanas.
- Madagascar is home to tiny lizards and also the smallest species of snakes.
- One possible reason for such small species is the so-called “island effect” that causes species on small islands to get smaller.
