The 5 Smallest Frogs In The World
So far, the smallest frogs in the world have been found on the island of Papua New Guinea, north of Australia … They are really tiny! Some are the size of a penny. Get to know them in this article.
What are the smallest frogs in the world?
In nature, we can find gigantic species and others so small that they are very difficult to find.
Even in the case of the smallest frogs in the world, whose bodies are very colorful, researchers find them very difficult to find among the vegetation.
Some of the minors of its kind in the animal kingdom are:
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Paedorphyrne ameuensis
This anuran amphibian (picture that opens this article) belongs to the Macrolide family , that is, one of the smallest frogs in the world.
At just 7.7 millimeters in length, it is the smallest known vertebrate.
He was found in 2009, during an expedition to the village of Amaru, in Papua New Guinea – the only place where he lives – and recently made official in 2012.
For mating, it makes a sound very similar to that of insects and can camouflage itself well between leaves on the ground in the tropical jungle.
Despite its small size, the toad P. amauensis can jump up to 30 times its size. It is dark red with gray and black spots.
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Pygmy toad
Its scientific name is Eleutherodactylos limbatus, although it is called ‘pygmy toad’, as it is one of the smallest of the anuran amphibians.
It was first described in 1862 by a US researcher named Edward Drinker Cope.
The pygmy toad is endemic to the island of Cuba, in the Caribbean, prefers xerophilic forests and areas with a lot of litter to hide and camouflage : its body is brown with yellow and black lines.
It has daytime habits and feeds on ants and spiders.
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Tricolor Epipedobates
The poisonous ghost toad (a very long name for such a small toad) is endemic to Ecuador, especially from the Andean slopes of the center of this South American country.
It lives in tropical forests, near streams and wetlands, with many leaves on the ground; although it can also be found near cocoa and banana plantations.
It features a bright red colored body with white lines and light patches on the legs, as well as large black eyes.
It measures about 22 millimeters and its head is large in relation to its body.
This frog is at risk of extinction. Despite looking so harmless, it has the ability to secrete a chemical called epibatidine, poisonous to its prey but of pharmacological interest to man.
This is the main reason why it is in danger of disappearing.
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Miltonímano Mantella
Another of the smallest frogs in the world, whose main color is red.
In this case, the reddish tone is quite strong and striking, and is present throughout the body, except for the large black eyes.
The “black eared mantella”, as it is popularly known; belongs to the Mantellidae family and is endemic to the island of Madagascar.
It prefers humid and tropical forests, swamps, lowlands and jungles.
As their habitats are not protected – that is, they have not become reserves or national parks – and people hunt them illegally to use or sell them as pets, there are fewer and fewer free individuals.
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Gastrofryne Carolinensis
Compared to the other frogs on the list, this species is gigantic, although it only reaches 50 millimeters in length.
This amphibian lives in humid, shady places in North America, specifically Florida, Texas, Missouri and Maryland in the United States.
Its body can be green, gray or brown – not at all flashy – and it has a “teardrop” shape, with a small face and a large back.
Its mouth is tiny, without warts or ridges on the skin, which is very resistant to prevent the stings of ants, which feed.
