TREVORS ANIMAL OF THE DAY JUNE 25, 2014 Brookesia micra. This is the... wait... is that a chameleon on a matchstick? Why, yes it is. B. micra is the smallest chameleon in the world. Its native to the uninhabited islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. It was discovered and characterized in 2012 by Frank Glaw of the Bavarian State Collection of Zoology. They grow to an average snout-vent length (svl) of 16 mm, making it one of the smallest amniote vertebrates ever. During the day, they typically hide in leaf litter. At night, they climb a towering 10 cm up a tree to sleep. FUN FACTS! 1. B. micras size is probably due to a phenomenon called insular dwarfism. Its a process where the size of an animal is reduced gradually over a number of generations, where the animal is limited to a very small range (usually an island). One possible explanation for this is due to the extreme borderline scarcity of food in an island. Since smaller animals need less food to survive, they get smaller and smaller due to natural selection. 2. The island they inhabit is prone to illegal logging activities, possibly making this species vulnerable to habitat destruction. For more animals, follow the hashtag #trevorAOTD! #animals #Madagascar #chameleon #tiny
Posted on: Wed, 25 Jun 2014 12:19:20 +0000
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