Researchers have recently discovered four new chameleon species. The four are said to be among the world’s tiniest reptiles, with adults males of the smallest species measuring at just over one inch long. The new species have been indentified as belonging to the genus Brookesia, also known as the "Leaf Chameleons," which live in remote rainforests in northern Madagascar. Leaf Chameleons are known to have some very small species that usually look like miniature versions of the larger chameleon species. The smallest chameleon found has been dubbed "Brookesia Micra." The Brookesia Micra (Photo courtesy of Glaw et al / PLoS ONE) Researchers used genetic analysis to determine that the chameleons found belonged to four separate species. Brookesia species tend to live within a very small range. Researches said that "extreme miniaturization of this sort is common in island populations" in that part of the Indian Ocean. The phenomenon is known as "island dwarfism," and may occur due to limited resources and pressure to reproduce faster. "The extreme miniaturization of these dwarf reptiles might be accompanied by numerous specializations of the body plan, and this constitutes a promising field for future research," herpetologist Frank Glaw, lead author of the study, said. "But most urgent is to focus conservation efforts on these and other microendemic species in Madagascar which are heavily threatened by deforestation." Erez Erlichman contributed to this report Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter