Everson Luhanga
A tiny pygmy chameleon, believed to be extinct in the wild, has been rediscovered in a rainforest in Malawi.
The Chapman’s pygmy chameleon is about the length of a golf tee.
Scientists have discovered a few still clinging to survival in the rainforests of Malawi Hills.
About 80 % of the forest has been destroyed during the last 40 years, mainly for agriculture.
In Malawi, chameleons are traditionally respected creatures with traditional doctors in the country believing that the animals possess magical powers.
People used to travel to Vipya and Chikangawa forests in the country’s northern region to catch the reptile as they believed this would give them wealth or power.
Unfortunately, this did not turn out too well for the reptile.
Speaking to Scrolla.Africa from Malawi, Doctor Mudula Tembo said it’s sad that many animals have become extinct in the country. “It’s not only the chameleon.
“National treasures like tortoises, lizards, scorpions, geckoes and special trees like Mkuyu have all become extinct.
“There is a sharp rise in population and demand for survival so many people resort to damaging the forest,” said Doctor Tembo.
He said it is a great moment for the country that it still has the Chapman’s pygmy chameleon.
Author of the study Professor Krystal Tolley said: “Finding a species that was thought to be extinct is a scientific thrill.”
Tolley said in 1938, a curious-looking fish caught by a trawler off the Eastern Cape coast turned out to be a coelacanth — a species, known previously only from fossil records, that was thought to have been extinct for 400 million years.
Image source: GlobalGiving
