A tiny chameleon species with a scaly horn atop its snout and blue dots on its limbs has been discovered in Tanzanian forests.
"It would sit quite easily on one finger," said Andrew Marshall of the University of York, adding the chameleon's body spans just 2.8 inches (about 72 mm) with a tail of nearly equal length.
Marshall first spotted the animal, now called Kinyongia magomberae, while surveying monkeys in the Magombera forest. He disturbed a twig snake that had been eating one of the chameleons. Once startled, the snake dropped its already dead prey.
So far, four specimens of the species have been observed in Tanzania's Magombera forest, which is unprotected, and the Mwanihana forest within the Udzungwa Mountains National Park.
Marshall and colleagues examined the specimens, comparing physical traits with other chameleons in the genus Kinyongia. They also ran genetic analyses, confirming the newly found animal as a separate species. Their findings are detailed in the African Journal of Herpetology.
The chameleon has a short horn-like structure on its snout. Some other chameleon species sport a longer so-called rostral process with a flexible tip, though scientists aren't sure the function of such a movable tip. Males often use their horns for fighting.
"'Our' chameleon has a very short 'horn,' maybe because it is a gentle animal," said study researcher Michele Menegon of the Tropical Biodiversity Section at the Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali in Italy.
K. magomberae usually sports a green-brown color to blend in with its surrounding habitat, the researchers suspect. But like its relatives, the newly identified chameleon changes skin color depending on its mood.
"While being photographed this individual had almost certainly changed color in response to our close proximity," Marshall told LiveScience. In the photo, the chameleon shows off limbs colored green with blue spots.
As for why Marshall and his colleagues are excited about this particular finding, he says, "It was discovered in a very threatened forest of huge importance for biodiversity, so it highlights the plight of the area."
Ultimately, the team hopes the finding will lead to protection for the Magombera forest
"Chameleon species tend to be focused in small areas and, unfortunately, the habitat this one depends on, the Magombera forest, is under threat," Marshall said. "Hopefully this discovery will support efforts to provide this area and others like it with greater protection."
New Chameleon Species Discovered in East Africa
ScienceDaily 23 Nov 09;
Dr Andrew Marshall, from the Environment Department at the University of York, first spotted the animal while surveying monkeys in the Magombera Forest when he disturbed a twig snake eating one.
The specimen was collected, tested and compared to two others found by scientists in the same area and has now been named Kinyongia magomberae (the Magombera chameleon) in research published in the African Journal of Herpetology.
Dr Marshall is co-author of the study alongside researchers from the Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali, the South African National Biodiversity Institute, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Stellenbosch.
He said: "Discovering a new species is a rare event so to be involved in the identification and naming of this animal is very exciting.
"Chameleon species tend to be focused in small areas and, unfortunately, the habitat this one depends on, the Magombera Forest, is under threat. Hopefully this discovery will support efforts to provide this area and others like it with greater protection."
Dr Marshall, who is also Director of Conservation Science at the Flamingo Land theme park and zoo, is leading a research project investigating changes in the Magombera Forest. The forest is an important resource for people in the area and home to wildlife, including endangered red colobus monkeys.
The project combines research into the biology of the forest with education for local people on how to manage it in a more sustainable way. The ultimate aim is to develop protected status for the forest and find alternative ways of meeting the needs of local communities.
Snake spits out new species of chameleon at scientist's feet
Latest find in natural world was result of reptile coughing up lizard as conservationist studied monkeys in the jungle
Esther Addley, guardian.co.uk 23 Nov 09;
It was so nearly known as dinner. Instead, a small and not terribly impressive chameleon has become the newest discovery of the natural world, after a startled Tanzanian snake spat a still-undigested specimen at the feet of a British scientist, who identified it as a previously unknown species.
Dr Andrew Marshall, a conservationist from York University, was surveying monkeys in the Magombera forest in Tanzania, when he stumbled across a twig snake which, frightened, coughed up the chameleon and fled. Though a colleague persuaded him not to touch it because of the risk from venom, Marshall suspected it might be a new species, and took a photograph to send to colleagues, who confirmed his suspicions.
Kinyongia magomberae, literally "the chameleon from Magombera", is the result, though Marshall told the Guardian today the fact it wasn't easy to identify is precisely what made it unique.
"The thing is, colour isn't the best thing for telling chameleons apart, since they can change colour for camouflage. They are usually identified based on the patterning and shape of the head, and the arrangement of scales. In this case it's the bulge of scales on its nose."
Happily for Marshall, shortly afterwards he spotted a second chameleon, this time alive, and was able to photograph it. The two creatures were found about six miles apart, which he believes may be the full extent of the area colonised by the extremely rare species. Though he found the specimen in 2005, his paper on the discovery, published this week, puts the find formally on record. "It takes quite a long time to convince the authorities that you have a new species," he said.
Had Marshall hoped it might be named after him? "Oh crumbs, no. The thing is, if you work in an area of conservation importance and you can give a species the name of that area it can really highlight that area. By giving it the name Magombera it raises the importance of the forest." The tiny area of jungle is currently unprotected, he said, and he hopes the find will persuade the Tanzanian authorities to extend protection.
"When we presented our findings to the local village people they were just amazed that the world now knows an animal by the Swahili name Magombera," he said.