Brookesia Micra Fact Sheet

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Brookesia Micra Fact Sheet Common Name: Brookesia micra / Leaf Chameleon / Stumped-tailed Chameleon Scientific Name: Brookesia micra Wild Status: Near threatened Habitat: In Leaf Litter Country: Madagascar, on a small island called Nosy Hara Shelter: Climb up into tree branches as high as 3.9 inches at night to sleep Life Span: In captivity up to 10 years, In wild unknown Size: About an inch from nose to tail Details: The Brookesia micra is a relatively new discovered species. They live in Madagascar on an Island called Nosy Hara. They are the tiniest of chameleons discovered so far and only grow to about an inch long from nose to tail. They tend to be active during the day and spend time in leaf litters ,while at night they make the high 4 inch climb to the top of tree branches to sleep. They have the ability to use their tail as an extra leg, similar to a peg leg. They are mostly grey, brown in color with a few spots of orange near their tail. If they are stressed out, they are able to change color. Their main diet is small fruit flies and white flies. As of now, little is known of their breeding habits. Cool Facts: • Brookesia micra is the tiniest chameleon in the world as of now. • A baby Brookesia micra is so tiny it can stand on the tip of a person's finger nail. • The Brookesia micra tails have 20 vertebrae compared to the usual 50 of larger chameleons. • Brookesia micra can use their tail as a leg to help them climb, which other chameleons cannot do. • Brookesia micra will climb up high in tree branches to sleep. That would be about 4 inches high. • Brookesia micra were discovered in 2012. • Brookesia micra's small size may be due to the need to mature quickly for survival due to limited resources. This is called insular dwarfism. Taxonomic Breakdown: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Suborder: Iguania Family: Chamaeleonidae Genus: Brookesia Species: Brookesia micra Conservation & Helping: The Brookesia micra lives in an area with limited terrestrial habitat destruction. As this species is recently discovered, information on their population numbers requires more evaluation. Download all our fact sheets, take our quizzes, and more, all in the Critter Squad Kids’ Zone! https://www.crittersquad.com/kids-zone/.

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