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Did you know that there is a miniature chameleon? This Bruchesi! And today, we will tell you about the appearance of this small lizard, its habitat and characteristics.

The story of the smallest chameleon

First Bruchesi discovered in 2007 north of the island of Madagascar on Nosy Hara. The reptile received its description and recognition only in 2012, when one of the researchers scientific group German zoologist Frang Glow did not encounter a miniature chameleon. Thus, the world learned about the existence of tiny lizards. IN daytime, it is quite difficult to see a miniature creature, which, among other things, is perfectly camouflaged and practically does not move.

Description of a miniature chameleon

The smallest species of chameleon reaches a length of 23-29 mm. The female is usually 26-29 mm long, and the males are much smaller 22-23.5 mm including the tail. The head of reptiles is extended forward, the eyes are rather convex, measuring 2.2 mm in males and 2-2.5 mm in females. But this species has a ridge growing from the rear edge of the eye line to the base of the tail. By the way, there is a small comb on the head. And on the back itself there are 11-12 peculiar spikes. Chameleon skin color in a calm state, dark brown with beige spots under the eyes, but in times of danger, the skin from recently brown turns into gray-green spots, and the crest becomes gray-brown, the tail is yellow with an orange tip.

HABITAT OF A MINIATURE CHAMELEON

Habitat

This lizard is common in the organic areas of the island of Nosu Hara in the north of Madagascar. Chameleons live in tropical forests in arid climates. During the daytime, they are found on limestone rocks and fallen leaves, but at night they climb onto low-lying branches 5-10 cm high. This reptile feeds on small insects, plant leaves and flowers. It consumes minimal water, mainly from plant sap.

VIDEO: ABOUT BABY CHAMELEONS

IN THIS VIDEO YOU CAN SEE HOW TO BREED CHAMELEONS AT HOME

Many people prefer to keep reptiles or amphibians rather than the familiar mammals at home. The most popular species are representatives of non-venomous species of snakes, lizards and chameleons. Chameleons are prized for their unusual appearance, unpretentiousness in maintenance and small size. There are about two hundred species of chameleons, which differ in size, color and habitat. This article will look at the smallest chameleons in the world - their detailed characteristics, natural habitat, principles of nutrition and reproduction.

Characteristics of the smallest chameleon

In total, the genus Brookesia includes about thirty species. Brookesia minor is the smallest of them and has the following characteristics:

reaches a length of only 4.5 cm and weighs about 2.5 g;
its natural color varies from light sand to rich brown. Unlike other chameleons, these little ones cannot change their color and are always camouflaged in fallen leaves;
have short tail, not curled at the end, a ridge of spines along the entire spine and small jagged growths under the eyes;
the paws end in a palm with five fingers, which are fused like a claw;
auricles are absent, the length of the tongue exceeds the length of the body by 1.5 times;
The tongue is covered with a sticky substance, with its help Brookesia catches insects.

Important! Brookesias do not tolerate overheating- the maximum permissible temperature for them is +32 degrees. If the chameleon hisses and opens its mouth, it means it is hot and the terrarium needs to be moved to the shade.

Habitat and lifestyle

These reptiles are distributed exclusively on the island of Madagascar and neighboring small islands. They lead a sedentary, secretive lifestyle and, due to their small size, have no natural enemies. They live alone, uniting only for the mating period.
During the day they hunt insects in the leaf litter and spend the night on tree trunks at a height of 10–15 cm. They can often be found on sunlit stones and branches. They do not react to humans, so they are easily caught.

Nutrition

They feed on small insects - fruit flies, aphids, and young caterpillars. They practically do not drink water, as they absorb it through the skin, lick it from tree branches after rains and in the form of condensation.

Reproduction

The mating season of Brookesia occurs during the rainy season, which lasts from late October to late December. The male initiates the mating process. He finds a sexually mature female and begins to court her, performing a mating dance.

Did you know? The species of Brookesia minor was first discovered in 1887 by the German paleontologist Oskar Böttger. Until 2012, it was considered the smallest species of chameleon, until the German scientist Frank Glow discovered chameleons of the genus Brookesia micra, whose dimensions do not exceed 2.5 cm, on the island of Nosu Jara near Madagascar.

If the female does not like the suitor, then she makes several sharp attacks in his direction, and the male no longer follows her. The female who accepts the male allows him to follow her during the day, and then allows him to mate in the evening or at night.
After fertilization, the female carries the eggs for three weeks. Before oviposition begins, it is removed into discreet place, where it lays three or four eggs on a litter of leaves. Four months later, the eggs hatch into young.

The female, who returns to the oviposition site three to four days before hatching, collects the young on her back and carries them on herself for one and a half to two months. Upon reaching this age, babies increase to a size of 1 cm and can get their own food. Brookesia reaches sexual maturity at nine months of age.

Mythical hero

Everyone knows the ability of chameleons to change their color; in fact, thanks to this ability, these lizards received their name in honor of mythical hero, who was known for being able to change his appearance. Because of this specific feature Chameleons are not easy to spot because... despite the fact that they change their appearance for the purpose of communicating with representatives of their species, and not for mimicry, however, their color very often coincides with the background environment, and therefore previously unknown species of these mysterious representatives of the fauna are often discovered.

New species of chameleons

So in 2010, biologists discovered the new kind chameleons, whose representatives are now considered the smallest in the world. The size of these representatives of the lizard family can only be compared with the size of insects: they are so small. Individuals of the discovered species of chameleons are distinguished by the presence of scaly horns and bluish dots on their limbs. According to scientists, these chameleons were previously unknown because their species is on the verge of extinction. It is assumed that today there are no more than one hundred individuals of this species in the world.

Deforestation in Tanzania

The thing is that the smallest chameleons in the world mainly live in the tropical forests of Tanzania, which in last decades were actively being cut down. Thus, the destruction of the usual habitat led to the mass death of individuals of this species of chameleons. Scientists plan to achieve a legislative decision to ban the deforestation of Tanzania's tropical forests.

Previously, the smallest chameleon was considered to be a chameleon that was discovered in Madagascar by a British wildlife photographer. While most chameleons have a body length of about 30 centimeters (the length of the largest reaches 50-60 centimeters), and the body length of even the smallest representatives of this family of lizards is at least 3 centimeters, the length of the chameleon found by a British photographer from nose to tip of tail is not exceeds 2.5 centimeters, which in size can be compared to the length of an ordinary human nail.

Ancestors of chameleons

Chameleons are most commonly found in mainland Africa and Madagascar. By the way, the island of Madagascar is considered a kind of historical homeland of these many-sided lizards: it is generally accepted that the first chameleons appeared here several thousand years ago, moreover, many species originated in this area and only then were distributed to other parts of the planet.

Let's note one more amazing fact, although scientists believe that the earliest chameleons appeared in Madagascar, the remains of the oldest chameleon found, estimated to be 26 million years old, were discovered in Europe. Yet, according to scientists, chameleons inhabited blue planet much earlier - more than 100 million years ago - and refer to the fact that the remains of the most ancient representatives of the lizard family simply may not have survived to this day or have not yet been found.

Vika Yuner, Samogo.Net