RESEARCH

Walking a tightrope of survival

Chapman’s pygmy chameleon (Rhampholeon chapmanorum), long feared to be extinct in the wild, has been found surviving in patches of rainforest in Malawi according to a study published in Oryx, the International Journal of Conservation, in August 2021.

It is a tiny, rare chameleon with adults growing to only six centimetres in length. These diminutive reptiles live on the forest floor where they blend in with dried leaves. Wits honorary researcher Professor Krystal Tolley led a team to find out if the chameleons still survive in the wild.

To their surprise, they found the pygmy chameleons at all of the three surveyed locations. Genetic analyses suggested that these populations are unable to move between forest patches to breed because of the fragmented habitat. “The loss of forest habitat requires urgent conservation action,” says Professor Tolley. “Without action, the species may reach a point from which it cannot return.”

Image: Krystal Tolley