It was an ordinary day. Just filled the bird feeder and spread some birdseed on the ground by our house to help those little guys and gals outside who need nourishment during this current cold spell. All my life I have enjoyed feeding the animals, big and small, who call my property home. Throughout my lifetime I have had animals and insects of all types and sizes as both pets as well as neighbors. As a child I had a variety of pets from white mice to snakes to tropical fish to parakeets to horned toads. As a teenager I raised guinea pigs to sell. My family also was never without a dog when I was growing up in the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. After marriage, Carol and I had both dogs and cats. Our children had pets of all sizes from the time they were very young until they left home. Our current selection of pets is our two cats, The Gray Lady and Snickerdoodle. They keep us amused and busy, especially during this time of year-round indoor living. In the summer, my wife's outdoor plants and flowers attract just about every type of insect and bug from butterflies to beetles. I have posted quite a few photographs of our outdoor visitors including the smallest of insects and reptiles. For those not knowing the difference, an insect is an arthropod in the class "insecta"which is characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton while a reptile is a cold-blooded vertebrate of the class "reptilia." A reptile creeps, moving on the belly or by means of small and short legs. I must admit that some are creepier than others while some can scare the crap out of you. My story today tells of the newest discovered chameleon known as Brookesia nana which was recently discovered in the northern Madagascar rainforest. It is allegedly the world's smallest reptile being it is only about 22-29mm in total length. It is a blotchy brown color and the adult male measures 22mm while the adult female is 29mm in total length.
This cute little reptile is known as Brookesia nana. |
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