Tourists help find new species of tiny chameleon in Madagascar

Tourists have somehow spotted a tiny new species of chameleon in Madagascar, which is an island located off the southeast coast of Africa.

It was found on a rainforest patch by the coast - a highly threatened habitat on the island.

Scientists have named the species of leaf chameleon Brookesia nofy, but can you believe it's not the smallest species of chameleon to exist?

Brookesia nofy measures around 33mm long, while its relative, Brookesia nana, measures in at between 22mm and 29mm long. That's about the diameter of a one pound coin!

Brookesisa nofy is only around 33mm long

Miguel Vences from the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany was part of the team looking into the new species.

He told Newsround: "This discovery is important because it is the first species of miniaturized chameleon living in littoral forest, one of the most threatened forest types in Madagascar."

Littoral forests form on old sand dunes by the ocean where it's humid.

Brookesia nofy is the first leaf chameleon to be found living in this habitat.

There are 13 other species of Brookesia leaf chameleon in the world, but threats to their habitat in Madagascar already put it on the Critically Endangered species list.

Miguel said: "Part of the forest is conserved as it belongs to a hotel, and ecotourism can be the main factor saving this chameleon and other species from this littoral forest fragment from extinction."