Martin Roland, a wildlife biologist, recently traveled to a tiny islet off the coast of Madagascar called Nosy Hara to work on a bat conservation project. Even though he was there to work with bats, he was most excited to meet a different animal: a tiny chameleon called Brookesia micra.
At the time of their discovery, B. micra were the smallest known species of chameleon in the world, measuring up at no more than an inch long. As of 2021, a slightly smaller chameleon species has been documented — but B. micra is still one of the world’s smallest reptiles.
The only place in the entire world you can find B. micra is on the two square miles of Nosy Hara. Thanks to their small habitat, B. micra are a perfect example of island dwarfism, a biological phenomenon in which large animals evolve to have a smaller body size when they’re limited to a small environment like an island.
Roland knew that his trip was his only opportunity to try to find B. micra. But given B. micras’ miniscule size, he knew finding one wasn’t going to be easy. He and his research group traversed all over the island’s rocky, dry terrain in search of the miniature reptiles.
“To find [them], we would hike up and down a 3 [kilometer] trail and [go] off-trail, just staring at leaf litter and shrubs. For hours. They are so little, bugs are bigger,” Roland told The Dodo.
On the fifth and final day of Roland’s trip, he still hadn’t spotten a single B. micra. He and the rest of his research group spent the whole morning looking, and finally they found one hanging out at the base of a tree.
“It was the best moment of my life,” Roland said. “I held him and just stared.”
Before he finally got to see one in person, Roland knew B. micra were small, of course. But nothing prepared him for how delicate a B. micra would be in person.
“It [was] like holding a baby, you feel a pressure to make sure you don’t drop them. [B]ut he was so tiny, he tripped on the crease of my hand and rolled 360 degrees,” Roland said.
Eventually, Roland had to say goodbye to his new friend. While he had to leave Nosy Hara, getting to meet such a tiny, adorable lizard is an experience he’ll treasure forever.
