Biologists are now aware that rare Chapman’s pygmy chameleon, smallest representatives of reptiles are endemic forested area in Africa
Biologists are now aware that Chapman’s pygmy chameleon, one of the smallest representatives of this group of reptiles and endemic to a small forested area in Africa, has not completely disappeared from the face of the planet. An expedition to the southern tip of Malawi recorded several specimens of this endangered species, the Rhampholeon chapmanorum.
The study in this regard published by the Oryx magazine this Tuesday, established that 80% of the forest that covered the hills of that African region, the only natural habitat of these scaly animals, has been destroyed from 1984 to here. Despite that setback, a certain population of pygmy chameleons has persisted and their genetic specificity is not low, something the authors attribute to fragmentation of forested areas into small patches, which prevents rare gene flow.
The study checked three of those forest plots and in all of them found some specimens of this reptile, which it measures at most six centimeters and, unlike the larger chameleons, it lives all the time on the ground, mixing with the dry leaves of the trees.
Biology professor Krystal Tolley, who led the expedition, stands out in a comment spread by the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa) that the first specimen was sighted in a strip between trees and a field with crops.
“When we find it, we got goose bumps and we started to jump, “confesses the researcher. Her team was able to determine that this animal is still clinging to survival, but it still does not know how long it will be able to persist in these small populations. Tolley said that the loss of forest habitat” requires action of urgent conservation “for stop the destruction of the jungle and recover the connection between the wooded patches today separated.
In May 2015 another reptile expert, Christopher Anderson, who this time was part of Tolley’s team, supposed that it was possible that Chapman’s pygmy chameleon had already become extinct, due to the reduction of habitable areas for that animal. Although his fears were not confirmed, in terms of science the Rhampholeon chapmanorum is still critically endangered.
Source : Market Research telecast