Friday, February 17, 2012

Tiny lizards found in Madagascar


A juvenile of Brookesia micra standing on the head of a match (c) Jorn KohlerMiniature juveniles can stand on the head of a match
One of the world's tiniest lizards has been discovered by keen-eyed researchers in Madagascar.
The miniature chameleon, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29mm.
German scientists also found a further three new species in the north of the island.
The lizards were limited to very small ranges and scientists are concerned they could be at risk from habitat disturbance.
The discovery is reported in the journal PLoS ONE.
The research team, led by Dr Frank Glaw from the Zoologische Staatssammlung in Munich, have a specialist knowledge of Madagascar's dwarf chameleons having described other species in the past.
They conducted fieldwork at night during the wet season in order to find the easily overlooked animals.

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