Thought to be Extinct, This Gentle and Beautiful Chameleon Lives On

In the Malawi Hills of Southeast Africa, the pygmy chameleon has been found once again – despite a 2014 study that believed it extinct – giving the unique reptile new hope for survival.

Due to its inability to adapt to a changing environment, the pygmy chameleon faces extreme threats. Mostly brown, the pygmy is unique in that it can transform into beautiful shades of blues and greens, thought to be both for protection and to communicate with others.

Krystal Tolley, lead author and research leader at the Leslie Hill Molecular Ecology Laboratory at the South African National Biodiversity Institute, explains how “[other] chameleon species can be hysterical, hissing and biting, but pygmy chameleons are gentle and just beautiful.”

Researchers jumped with joy in 2016 when they spotted both adults and new hatchlings of the pygmy chameleon for the first time since it had been labeled critically endangered in the Red List of Threatened Species, encouraging a new wave of protection efforts. And a study published this month has shown that the Malawi Hills have been largely destroyed since the 1980s, prompting forest reserves to push for urgent conservation actions to better protect both nature and the pygmy chameleon.