In captivity?

[jojackson]

Is this miniscule species actually kept in captivity anywhere? zoos? Any more info about them?

The island of Madagascar hosts the smallest species of chameleons to have ever existed. The Brookesia Minima lives happily on the land of the rain forest, even though one of them is only half an inch (1.2 centimeters) long. The animals can easily rest on top of a person's thumb, from which they use their eyes to scout nearby regions.

 

[chambabysitter1]

Omg, what would you feed it? Microbes?! Single Celled Organisms?!!1 These guys are so adorably tiny.

 

[jojackson]

Be very interesting to find out! I imagine very tiny bugs and the like they find among leaf litter on the woodland floor. Amazing they survive! Imagine how many tiny bugs and how often they would need to eat to sustain the activity/energy to hunt for them!!
Basking would be a very interesting proposition also, lots to eat them.

 

[PITBULL]

Not only would it be difficult to feed but I'm sure a lot of bugs in madagascar are big enough to eat those tiny chams. Amazing!

 

[Hilikus311]

if this isn't an example of adaptation to survive i don't know what is

 

[SpikeTheVeiled]

Wow its amazing how everything needed to live like the heart, circulatory system ect. is inside that tiny creature, amazing!

 

[reyesjoshuacruz]

its protected

but other than that?????

 

[jojackson]

some info

http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/bminima.html

more pics http://www.arkive.org/minute-leaf-chameleon/brookesia-minima/image-G26161.html

video http://videos.howstuffworks.com/discovery/29060-jeff-corwin-unleashed-brookesia-minima-video.htm

 

[Ricardo]

amazing if i could wish something, i would like to see it in natural habitat absolutely fantastic animal!!!

 

[Chris Anderson]

The Jeff Corwin video is actually not Brookesia minima. Its a baby Brookesia of another species, probably B. stumpffi. B. minima cannot be exported from Madagascar. They used to be available. Food is definitely a challenge. Think springtails, fruitflies, pinheads etc. Even more challenging are their hatchlings.

Chris

 

[Eric Adrignola]

The tiny size of most forest floor creatures is really amazing. Dig through some rotten leaves one day and take a look with a magnifying glass. You'd be amazed at how many truely tiny insects are creeping around down there. Make pinheads and fruit flies seem huge.

I just won't deal with culturing them. I loved poison dart frogs, but I couldn't deal with culturing so many tiny fruit flies and tineir still springtails... I may be some day, but not today!

 

[jojackson]

The Jeff Corwin video is actually not Brookesia minima. Its a baby Brookesia of another species, probably B. stumpffi. B. minima cannot be exported from Madagascar.

He was in madagascar! How can you tell from the video if its not B.minima as you say.
From the info above, differences between various Brookesia are minute?

Adults B. minima have flattened heads and an orbital crest with large scales forming triangular plates above their eyes. Along their backs are two rows of granular protrusions. B. minima specimens sometimes have lateral yellow stripes over their basic drab grayish-brown color. The maximum total length is 3.4 cm (1.3 in) for females and 2.8 cm (1.1 in) for males.[8] Males are also more slender than females, and exhibit a hemipenial bulge at the base of their tails.

B. minima has been characterized as belonging to a "species group" with other Madagascan Dwarf Chameleons such as B. dentata, B. tuberculata, and other new or unidentified species such as a recently described chameleon from Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve.[6]

A 1999 paper in the Journal of Zoology disputed a 1995 paper which considered B. tuberculata and B. peyrierasiand to be the same species as B. minima. The later paper discussed the same details as the first -- subtle morphological differences in the hemipenises of the respective species -- and determined they were heterospecific. They also found differences in the arrangement of head crests and in minute spines above the eyes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookesia_minima

B. Stumpffi resembles the dead leaves among which they live. The head is flattened and the rear of the casque is adorned with spinose projections. The orbital crests are well developed and their edges are somewhat scalloped. A row of thorn-like projections runs down either side of the dorsum, from a few millimeters behind the casque to the proximal 1/4 of the tail. The basic body coloration is typically brown, gray, drab green, or rust but orange specimens are also observed on occasion. Indistinct, yellowish spots are also possible. During courtship, males may adopt a mottled, "lichen-like" appearance but otherwise the the color changing ability, as with most members of the Brookesia, is not well developed. Males may be distinguished by their more slender body shape and the appearance of a hemipenal bulge.

http://www.adcham.com/html/taxonomy/species/bstumpffi.html

Yet these look distinctly different. corwins cham looked alot like described B.minima to me! ???

B. Stumpffi

B.minima

 

[Chris Anderson]

Jo,

I say that having seen both in the wild as well, having kept both in captivity, having bred B. stumpffi in captivity and having spent years paying attention to detail in order to learn how to differentiate some of these cryptic species. The animal in the Corwin video has well developed crest ridges around the posterior margin of the skull that are not as well pronounced in species from the B. minima complex (B. minima, B. tuberculata, B. dentata, B. peyrierasi, B. ramanantsoai, etc.). It has similarly well formed ocular crests and well developed dorsolateral spines along the dorsal ridge of the body. It is also much larger then an adult B. minima.

Here is a screen shot of the chameleon from the Corwin video:

Here is a photo from Mike Monge (FL Chams) of a baby B. stumpffi:

Chris

 

[Syn]

I wonder what it tastes like... I am kidding! These creatures are VERY adorable!

 

[Lizardlover]

imagine how tiny their tongues are, probably threadlike.

 

[de cam]

Cool seein some different pix

 

[jojackson]

Cool, Thanks for the clarification Chris. Can you tell us more about them (captivity) please, Habits, feeding, drinking, basking etc
I cant imagine the difficulty required to keep those.

p.s The comparative pics do indeed look to be the same species. (B. stumpffi) I guess its alot of difference looking at the live animal than a photo.

Do you have any pics or vid of your Brookesia ?

 

[jojackson]

I wonder what it tastes like

LOL Chicken?

 

[summoner12]

Let us know what you come up with!

LOL Chicken?

"... Maybe the machines got it wrong! Maybe that is why everything tastes like chicken?!

 

[ciafardo 4]

Hey Chris how do you remember how to tie your shoes brush your teeth etc. i mean really how much can fit in your head without sacrificing the little things you super cham nerd hahaha im jealous thats for sure!