Karoo dwarf chameleon no means closely related. Rather, the Karoo dwarf chameleon belongs to a group of mostly short-tailed drab "Bradypodion" species which mostly inhabit semiarid to arid habitats. Its closest living relatives among these appear to be the peculiar and nearly extinct Smith's dwarf chameleon from mountainous habitat, and especially the southern dwarf chameleon. The Karoo dwarf chameleon may actually be a subspecies of the latter; there appears to be significant gene flow between the two. Karoo dwarf chameleon The Karoo dwarf chameleon ("Bradypodion karrooicum") is a chameleon native to South Africa. It is about 14 cm (6 in) long, mostly colored
Kazakh semi-desert Kazakh semi-desert The Kazakh semi-desert is an ecoregion in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome, located in Kazakhstan. The climate is semi-arid and continental, with a total annual precipitation of , and mean temperatures in January averaging and in July . It is a transitional area between the steppes and the deserts of Central Asia and supports flora found in both biomes, predominantly grasses, particularly "Stipa" species, and shrubs such as "Artemisia" species. A number of mammals and birds are found in this ecoregion but the habitat is threatened by overgrazing and fragmentation from human encroachment. However, a recent reduction