Tiny Lizards Found in Madagascar!

Recently a researcher discovered one of the tiniest lizards in the world while on the island of Madagascar.  The miniature chameleon, Brookesia micra, reaches a maximum length of just 29mm.  The research team also discovered three other species of lizard, all of which were limited to ranges as small as one single square kilometer.  This rises concern amongst the research team because the limited ranges put these animals at high risk for habitat disturbance.

The research team was led by Dr. Frank Glaw who is a specialist when comes to Madagascar's dwarf chameleons.  They searched for the animals at night  and reported that during the day the lizards live among leaf litter but retreat into tree tops to sleep when night falls.  This specific, and smallest of the species was found on a remote limestone islet and is believed to represent an extreme case of island dwarfism.  Island dwarfism is the evolutionary process of a species becoming smaller over time in order to adapt to a restricted habitat, ie. a very small island.

Researchers suspected that B. micra was closely related to the common dwarf chameleons found on the main island. After intensive genetic analysis it was revealed the two species of lizard separated from one another millions of years ago, which is earlier than many other chameleon species. 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/17028940