More at http://www.sanctuaryasia.com | Natural History
Little brown bats in northern Canada are known to slip into a type of hibernation called torpor, wherein a single breath every
90 minutes is all they need to remain alive.Did You Know?Owing to their relatively small frame, Homo
fl oresiensis is nicknamed 'Hobbit'.Paedophryne amauensis is found in the
rainforests of Papua New Guinea and grows to
all of 8-9 mm.The dwarf chameleon Brookesia micra can
snugly fi t on a human's fi ngertip. It attains
the maximum size of up to 29 mm. It is found
only on the islet Nosy Hara, northwest
of Madagascar.
Critically endangered, the
pygmy racoon is found only on
the Cozumel Island with less
than 250 mature individuals
left in the wild.Cretan dwarf mammoth
(Mammuthus creticus)Evolutionary Miniaturisation
5 m.4 m.3 m.2m.1 m.CCCCititi llThThTe dwdwdwdwwwaraarararrf f f ffffcchcchcchhamamamame
snnnugglyllyyfifififitttooonn n
mamammaxixixiimmm
Small is big. This phrase holds true for the evolution of a myriad
species constrained to niche island ecosystems. In a phenomenon known
as ‘island dwarfi sm’, several species restricted to isolated islands, from
reptiles to mammals, have evolved into miniature versions of their
mainland cousins. Even an early human species – Homo fl oresiensis- that grew to all of one metre in height and roamed the Flores Island of
Indonesia some 100,000 and 60,000 years ago, is believed to be the product
of ‘island dwarfi sm’. Dwarfs or smaller-sized animals on certain islands
were evolutionarily successful as more competition and limited resources
favoured the small. Eventually, natural selection helped them emerge as individual
species. It is remarkable to think of miniature versions of dinosaurs, mammoths,
humans, lizards, snakes and more that roamed or continue to roam small pockets
of land on Earth! Cretan dwarf mammoth Mammuthus creticus, known to be the
smallest of the mammoths, found on the island of Crete some 3.5 million
years ago, grew only to a height of one metre at the shoulder, while
its giant cousins grew up to four metres! Another classic case of
extreme miniaturisation and micro-endemism is that of the dwarf
leaf chameleon Brookesia micra, which was discovered as recently as
- These dwarfs, which are only slightly larger than an ant, are seen
only on a small islet called Nosy Hara situated northwest of Madagascar. Revel
in more such examples through the illustrations on this page.
Illustrations: Vinay A. Salvi