Three baby chameleons, small enough to perch on the end of a finger, have hatched at Chester Zoo.
This is the first time the zoo’s reptile experts have managed to breed Cameroon two-horned mountain chameleons.
The eggs hatched in late August, and the chameleons are still only 5cm long.
Once they’re adults, the males will reach 25cm, and the females 20cm.
And although they’re green now, adult males often turn blue when trying to attract a mate.
Zookeepers are particularly thrilled because the chameleons are listed as near threatened with extinction.
Doctor Gerardo Garcia, curator of lower vertebrates and invertebrates at the zoo, said: “These chameleons are thought to live in just 10 locations in the highlands of Cameroon as they only thrive at a very particular altitude.
“Sadly, with that already small amount of available habitat being affected by human activity – degradation, agriculture and climate change – it’s making these chameleons more and more vulnerable.”
