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The world's
smallest known
animals only consist of a few hundred
cells and measure as little as 45 micrometers in length (45
millionths of a meter). Most of the
smallest
animals are aquatic, partially because
the layer of mud on the ocean floor is an excellent habitat
for tiny organisms. The small invertebrates that live in the
mud are, aside from bacteria, among the most numerous
animals on the planet. They coexist
with abundant bacteria, which they feast upon. |
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The pygmy marmoset is the
smallest monkey in the world. They live in family groups led
by a parental couple. Most of the time the male parent
carries the offspring. The young go to the mother during
feeding. After a few months they will jump around looking
for food and excitement. |
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Thumbelina, the smallest horse in the world! At 17-inches
tall, Thumbelina is currently the world's smallest pony. She
was just 5 years old when she made it into the Guinness Book
Of Records and lives on a farm with a couple who specialize
in breeding miniature horses. |
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Fennec Foxes - The world's
smallest fox, Fennec Foxes are smaller than housecats.
Living in sandy, dry regions,their large ears keep them cool
and help them hear rodents. Their ears are bigger than their
faces! |
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The world's smallest mammal
is the critically endangered bumblebee bat of western
Thailand. Also known as Kitti's hog-nosed bat, it was first
described just 30 years ago. |
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The world's smallest bird is
the Bee Hummingbird. The Bee Hummingbird is about the size
of a, you guessed it, bee. That translates to 2.5 inches or
6.2 cm in length and 1.6 grams or 0.06 oz in weight. The Bee
Hummingbird also lays the world's smallest bird eggs which
are about the size of your smallest fingernail. |
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Scientists have discovered
the world's tiniest fish, a species that lives in Southeast
Asia and, when fully grown, is the size of a large mosquito. The
Paedocypris progenetica is a distant cousin of
the carp. Skinny and transparent, the elusive fish lives in
peat swamps on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and in the
Malaysian parts of Borneo that are threatened by forestry
and agriculture. |
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Leptotyphlops carlae
is the world's smallest species of snake, with adults
averaging just under four inches in length. Found on the
Caribbean island of Barbados, the species --which is as thin
as a spaghetti noodle and small enough to rest comfortably
on a U.S. quarter-- was discovered by Blair Hedges. |
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So small it can curl
up on a dime or stretch out on a quarter, the
Sphaerodactylus ariasae is only about three quarters
of an inch, from the tip of the snout to the base of the
tail. Its range is believed to be limited to Jaragua
National Park in the extreme southwest of the Dominican
Republic and the nearby forested Beata Island. |
