Smallest known lizard species described

The Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard, but do you know what the smallest lizard species is?

A team of Madagascan and German herpetologists may have just described the smallest known lizard species, a chameleon named Brookesia nana. Brookesia nana is endemic (found only in) a small patch of forest in northern Madagascar. It is only about the size of an aspirin tablet!

A male *Brookesia nana*. Image courtesy of Frank Glaw.

A female *Brookesia nana*. Image courtesy of Frank Glaw.

*Map of northern Madagascar, showing the distribution of species of the subgenus Evoluticauda (known as Brookesia minima group).* Image published by Glaw and his colleagues in a recent paper in *Scientific Reports*.

For more information, visit mongabay.com:

https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/newly-described-chameleon-from-madagascar-may-be-worlds-smallest-reptile/

Citation:

Glaw, F., Köhler, J., Hawlitschek, O., Ratsoavina, F. M., Rakotoarison, A., Scherz, M. D., & Vences, M. (2021). Extreme miniaturization of a new amniote vertebrate and insights into the evolution of genital size in chameleons. Scientific Reports, 11(1),2522. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-80955-1