BERLIN — Scientists have named a newly discovered chameleon in Madagascar after the jungle hero Tarzan, in a bid to draw attention to and protect the region’s bio-diversity.
The Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany said the 5-inch animal had been named Calumma tarzan as a “flagship species” to draw attention to the bio-diversity of central-eastern Madagascar and encourage the creation of areas free of logging.
Philip-Sebastian Gehring, writer an article describing the animal, said, “The Tarzan chameleon is going to use his celebrity name to promote protection for this last patch of forest.”