Brookeisa nana: All about the World's Smallest Reptile found in Madagascar

Why in News?

The smallest species of Reptiles have been discovered by the scientists in Madagascar. It is a species of a chameleon. 

About the Smallest Reptile: Brookesia Nana

1. Two tiny lizards were discovered by a team of German Madagascar expedition team
2. It was a male Brookesia nana or a nano chameleon with the body of just 13.5mm
3. It is the smallest species among the 11,500 known species of reptiles. This has been stated by the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology in Munich
4. The length of the chameleon is 22 mm that is 0.86 inches in all
5. The size of the female is way bigger at around 29 mm. 
6. The chameleon is tiny enough to perch comfortably on a fingertip
7. Brookesia Micra lives on less than two square kilometres 
8. It, however, has the same world-weary expression as its larger cousins around the world.

"The new chameleon is only known from a degraded montane rainforest in northern Madagascar and might be threatened by extinction," as per the Scientific Reports journal.

"This tiny new chameleon violates the pattern of the smallest species being found on small islands. That suggests that something else is allowing/causing these chameleons to miniaturise," said Dr Mark Scherz.

Chameleon Scientific Classification

Facts about the Brookesia Nana:

Ultra-compact chameleon is tiny enough to perch comfortably on a fingertip.

The pair discovered by the scientists remain the only specimens of the species ever found by humans.

Threats to the survival of Brookesia Nana:

1. The sustained destruction of forests in northern Madagascar threatens its survival.
2. As per Glaw, “Habitat destruction is the biggest threat to the amphibians and reptiles of Madagascar." 
3. Climate change may be a reason in the future but for now, it is deforestation.
4. Since the mid-20th century, Madagascar has lost about 45 per cent of its forest cover.
5. B. nana and another mini-chameleon discovered on a small island of Madagascar are especially vulnerable because their range is very small. 

Islands Dwarfism:

Islands, (where these species were found), were connected ages ago to some neighbouring continents. These are known for miniaturised versions of animals that crossed some ephemeral land bridges. This phenomenon is known as island dwarfism.

The co-author Andolalao Rakotoarison of the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar said, “there are numerous extremely miniaturised vertebrates in Madagascar, including the smallest primates and some of the smallest frogs in the world.” 

However, the "island effect" does not apply to Brookesia nana. This animal lives exclusively in mountainous regions which are about 1,300 metres above sea level. The island nation has one of the highest rates of poverty in the world. It also lacks resources for conservation and natural resource management.

Other Smaller Reptiles:

When talking of a  smaller size, the Geko Sphaerodactylus of the Caribbean is almost as small as Brookesia Micra which is 20-25% longer than Brookesia nana.

The gopher tortoise is equivalent to 12 Brookesia nanas, and the veiled chameleon to around 18 specimens of the newly reported Madagascar species. 

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