The smallest animals in the world are able to surprise with their size, unusual shapes and unique abilities. Some fauna are very poisonous, and their small size makes them especially dangerous to humans.
Top rating of the 10 smallest representatives of the animal world:
- Frog Paedophryne.
- Hummingbird bee.
- Brookesia lizard micra.
- Barbados snake Charles.
- Multidental dwarf.
- Pygmy gecko.
- Igrunka.
- Starfish
- Fenech.
- Mouse lemur.
Paedophryne Frog
The frog is the smallest vertebrate found recently. The length is 7-11 mm. It was discovered relatively recently in New Guinea. Habitat is forest leaves and moss. The small size and undeveloped phalanxes of the fingers do not allow frogs to climb vertical surfaces. Color camouflage, brown with a red tint and spots on the sides. The belly is gray in color, the hind legs are long.
Hummingbird bee
The size of the bird is 4-6 cm, and the weight is from 2 gr. Females are larger than males, feathers are almost the same color, but males look much brighter in the mating season. At the end of the period, the color of the plumage is compared. The paws are very small, because the bird spends most of the time in the air, and strong claws are not needed. The nests are made from moss, tree bark, add strands of web for elasticity. Hummingbirds are solitary and can only be together at the time of mating. The female breeds chicks without the help of a male. Interesting:
- Hummingbirds live in Cuba and coastal islands.
- They eat two times more than they weigh.
- Fly up to 20 hours without rest.
- Live from 7 to 10 years.
- A person is not able to see the flapping of the wings of a bird.
- Hummingbirds are able to pollinate 1600 plants per day.
Lizard brocezia micra
A miniature lizard was found in Madagascar. It is placed on the button of medium size. The size is 20-25 mm. It feeds on small insects and worms. Spend the night on low bushes and trees. The color is brown, and in an aggressive state it is dark green. The head is large, the tail is short. Females are slightly larger than males. Poorly adapted to unfamiliar living conditions. Genetic studies have shown that the characteristics of the island system contributed to the appearance of a lizard of this size.
Barbados snake Carl
Barbados Island in the Caribbean is home to a unique miniature snake that is almost on the verge of extinction. The forests inhabited by Barbados snakes are mercilessly cut down and the area for living decreases with each passing year. Animals feed on ants and their larvae. The females lay one egg, and the offspring is large, half the size of the mother, 5 cm. The size of an adult reaches 10 cm.
Multi-serrated dwarf
The habitat of the multi-zoo is India, North Africa and Asia. Animal weight less than 3 grams. Scientists argued that a representative of the fauna with such a weight can not exist. In nature, everything is different and recently discovered this amazing species of mammal. The shrew moves quickly, eats a lot, up to 6 times his weight. It feeds on insects, sometimes larger frogs and worms. If it does not eat every two hours, it will die of exhaustion. He lives in burrows, vaguely resembles a mole, the tail is very long. The coat color is brown, and on the belly is light.
Pygmy gecko
Unusually beautiful lizards live on palm trees in Eastern Tanzania. Slightly changing maritime climate contributes to the life and reproduction of offspring. The gecko uses nectar from flowers and small insects as food. Males are painted in a bright blue color, and females more muted greenish tint. The size of an adult individual is 6–9 cm. Scientists have achieved reproduction of lizards in captivity, and the problem of extinction has been solved. Females lay 2-4 eggs, from which the offspring of 20 mm in size appears. The life of geckos is 5-6 years.
Dwarf rynka (marmazetka) very mobile and fast monkey. The weight of the animal does not exceed 120 grams. Outwardly very similar to the squirrel. Live and get food for families. The marriage period is not tied to a specific time. Monkeys live in the forests of South America, feed on the leaves and fruits of trees. They are very shy, climb to the tops of the trees with any danger, and it is almost impossible to catch them. Communicate with each other whistling. Interesting:
- Hearing and vision are developed more than other senses.
- Monkeys mark their territory so that their relatives find them easier.
- At birth, offspring often appear twins.
- There are no secondary sexual characteristics, males and females are outwardly indistinguishable.
- In the development of the brain has many related signs with a person.
The mole received its name from the shape of a nose in the form of a star, in order to conveniently dig and obtain food. The nose of the animal catches vibrations from the movement of prey. The size of the animal is small, 10-15 cm. Tail relative to the body is average, 9 cm. It serves to store fat reserves and therefore slightly increases by the onset of cold weather, up to 3 cm. The coat is almost black. Starfishes live in eastern Canada and North America. Actively dig tunnels where they live, store food stocks and raise offspring. Eat insects, worms, fish. In the water feel great. Mating season spring. The offspring is born without wool after 45 days in the amount of 5-7 children. Life expectancy up to 7 years.
Translated from Arabic, fenek is a fox. It weighs 1.5 kg with height of 15-25 cm. It looks like a fox on the surface, has large ears and feet covered with wool that protects from hot sand. Mostly live in the deserts of North Africa. They live in groups, their territory is marked with urine. Hunt at night alone. They feed on small animals, eggs, insects and rodents. Live and raise offspring in burrows. Easy to get along with a man in captivity.
Mouse Lemur
The pygmy mouse lemur is a very small primate, with a brown coloration of the back and a light belly color. Fit to play size, weight 300 gr. Body length with a tail of 20 cm. Lives in the west of Madagascar, eats insects, fruit, leaves and lizards. Well breeds and lives in captivity.
The fauna of our planet never ceases to amaze with the diversity and bizarre forms of representatives of the fauna. To survive in harsh conditions, they are forced to adapt and in every way to protect their lives. And therefore, contrary to the laws of nature, there are various types of miniature animals, the existence of which is difficult to believe.
The smallest deer
Speaking of deer, a large animal immediately appears. However, there is a deer, the size of a small dog. Its name is northern pood. The height of the animal at the withers is only thirty to forty centimeters.
The deer horns are very small, so they do not affect the height. In males, they are slightly visible, in females they are completely covered with hair. You can meet this wonderful deer in the south of Chile and the island of Chilos, although this is not easy, as animals prefer to lead a secretive lifestyle.
Little animals of Russia
Among chickens, quails are the smallest birds. The weight of this bird does not exceed one hundred grams. In Russia, they inhabit the fields, steppes, meadows, meadows and edges.
The little fox is called Corsac. Its length is only fifty centimeters, and its height at the shoulders is thirty centimeters. Korsak is common in the European part of Volgograd, as well as in the southern regions of Tatarstan.
The smallest creature on earth
The most miniature animal of the Earth is Kitty the pig bat. This is a resident of Thailand. Its length varies from two centimeters nine millimeters to three centimeters three millimeters, and the weight does not exceed two grams.
This mouse belongs to the order of the bats. For the first time a pig mouse was discovered in 1973 by a Thai biologist. In size, this animal is inferior to many insects. With this little bat, only the dwarf shrew competes.
Pig nose mouse resembles a penny. The color is gray or brown with a reddish tinge. They live exclusively in the southwest of Thailand in the national park Sai Yok. Animals spend the day in small groups in caves of limestone hills. In the evenings, in a group of up to five individuals, they hunt, without departing from places of days more than a kilometer. Their main food is insects, which the mice take off directly from the foliage. The numbers of these tiny bats are extremely small. Today the population is about five hundred individuals.
The dwarf shrew Savi also belongs to the smallest animals on Earth. Among terrestrial mammals this shrew is the smallest. It weighs from one and a half to two and a half grams. It is also the most voracious creature in the world, eating about two to four times its weight in a day. Also, the shrew Sawi has the highest pulse among animals. Animals live in North Africa, Southern Europe, Transcaucasia, Asian countries. It can be found in the Moscow region, Primorsky Krai, in the Baikal region and in the Urals.
