Friday, February 17, 2012

Tiny chameleon and wasp

Who says lizards and bugs aren't cute?


Scientists recently announced the naming of Brookesia micra, the smallest known chameleon on an island near Madagascar. It's seen here on the tip of a match. Biologists overlooked it before because it doesn't move much. From Science News




But the chameleon is a giant compared to the fairy wasp, one of the smallest insects, seen here next to a paramecium and an amoeba at the same scale. It only has 7,400 neurons, but that's enough to allow it to fly on its delicate wings, find food, and lay its eggs. From the Discover blog
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Thanks, Roger.

7 comments:

Steve Kohr Fine Art said...

Wow, very cool! Science is pretty amazing.

Brooke Boynton-Hughes said...

Wow! These are so neat!

Gregory Lee said...

Is Brookesia micra the one that was widely shown in the media sitting on a dime? This was reported by Dave Letterman as being the discovery in New Guinea of the world's largest dime.

Barbara said...

What a wonderful world.

Sarah Stevenson said...

Wow! Amazing.

I usually think reptiles are pretty cute, but wasps...that teeny one kind of freaks me out, I have to admit. :)

homer andrew said...

How come it only takes 7,400 neurons to be able to do all those things? That fairy must be magic!

Anonymous said...

Ahah at first I thought the chameleon had changed his skin pattern to imitate the burnt match, then my brain realized that he(she) is sitting on a match's tip!!
Real cute!
M