BERLIN (AP) – It fits a human fingertip, but this chameleon can make a big splash.
Scientists from Madagascar and Germany say a newly discovered chameleon species is a contender for the title of the world’s smallest reptile.
Frank Glaw, who was on the international team of researchers that classified the new species and named it Brookesia nana, said the male specimen’s body appeared to be only 13.5 millimeters long (just over 1/2-inch. )
That’s at least 1.5 millimeters smaller than the previous record holder, another member of the Brookesia family.
Glaw, a reptile expert at the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich, said the tiny male and slightly larger female were spotted on a mountainside by a local guide during a 2012 expedition.
“You really have to get on your knees to find them,” Glaw told The Associated Press in a phone interview Friday. “They are clearly camouflaged and they move very slowly.”
Glaw and colleagues performed a CT scan of the female and found that it contained two eggs, confirming that it was an adult.
For the male, the researchers looked closely at the “well-developed” genitals, which in chameleons come in pairs known as hemipenes.
They found that the genitals of the Brookesia nana specimen were nearly one fifth of its body size, possibly for it to mate with the larger female.
“I have no doubt it’s an adult male,” said Glaw. “Obviously, if we had a pair link, that would be better proof.”
Confirming Brookesia nana as the smallest reptile species will require finding more, which may take several years, he said.
The team’s research was recently published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Chameleons are threatened by deforestation in Madagascar, which is home to numerous species.
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