10 The Smallest Animal In The Worlds

Thursday, August 9, 2012

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10 The Smallest Animal In The Worlds

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10. Worlds Smallest Monkey (Pygmy Marmoset).

The pygmy marmoset or dwarf monkey (Cebuella pygmaea) is a quadrupedal New World monkey native to the rainforest understories of western Brazil, southeastern Colombia, eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru, and northern Bolivia, with an altitudinal range of 200 to 940 m. It is most common in river edge forests, but also can be found in secondary forest and moderately disturbed forest. The pygmy marmoset has been viewed as somewhat different from typical marmosets, most of which are classified in the genera Callithrix and Mico, and thus is accorded its own genus, Cebuella within the family Callitrichidae. Pygmy marmosets live 11-12 years in the wild, but in zoos, they live into their early twenties. It is one of the smallest primates, and the smallest true monkey, with its body length ranging from 14 to 16 centimetres (5.5 to 6.3 in) (excluding the 15-to-20-centimetre (5.9 to 7.9 in) tail). Males weigh around 140 grams (4.9 oz), and females only 120 grams (4.2 oz).


9. World’s Smallest Fish (Paedocypris Progenetica).

Paedocypris is a genus of cyprinid fish found in Southeast Asia where it occurs in Malaysia and Indonesia. Three species are known. Paedocypris progenetica has been claimed to be the smallest known species of fish in the world. The smallest mature female measured 7.9 mm and the largest known individual 10.3 mm. Paedocypris progenetica has been claimed to be the smallest known species of fish and vertebrate in the world, particularly before the description of the frog Paedophryne amauensis in 2012. The smallest mature P. progenetica female is only 7.9 millimetres (.31 in) standard length, smaller than the female of any other vertebrate species, including those of P. amauensis. The largest known individual is 10.3 mm (.41 in). Male individuals of the species anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps have been documented to be 6.2-7.3 mm at maturity, and thus claimed to be a smaller species. However, these survive only by sexual parasitism, and the female individuals reach the significantly larger size of 50.5 mm.


8. World’s Smallest Rodent (Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa).

The Baluchistan Pygmy Jerboa, or the Dwarf Three-toed Jerboa, (Salpingotulus michaelis) is a species of rodent in the Dipodidae family. It is the only species in the genus Salpingotulus. Adults average only 4.4cm head and body length, with the tail averaging 8cm. Adult females weigh 3.75 grams. It is endemic to Pakistan. In the 2010 Guinness World Book of Records it is tied for the smallest rodent in the world.


7. World's Smallest Snake (Barbados Threadsnake).

The snake was first described and identified as a separate species in 2008 by S. Blair Hedges, a biologist from Pennsylvania State University. Hedges named the new species of snake in honor of his wife, Carla Ann Hass, a herpetologist who was part of the discovery team. Specimens of this species already existed in reference collections in the London Natural History Museum and in a museum in California, but they had been identified incorrectly, as belonging to a species now known to exist only on Martinique, another Caribbean island. The average length of Leptotyphlops carlae adults is approximately 10 cm, (4 inches), with the largest specimen found to date measuring 10.4 cm (4.09 inches). The snakes are said to be "as thin as spaghetti." The photograph above shows L. carlae on a quarter dollar, a coin with a diameter of 24.26 mm (0.955 inches).


6. World's Smallest Seahorse (Satomi's Pygmy Seahorse).

Satomi's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus satomiae) is the smallest known seahorse in the world with an average length of 13.8 millimetres (0.54 in) and an approximate height of 11.5 millimetres (0.45 in). This member of the Syngnathidae family is found at the Derawan Islands off Kalimantan. This species name, H. satomiae, is in honour of Satomi Onishi, the dive guide who collected the type specimens. Hippocampus satomiae was selected as one of "The Top 10 New Species" described in 2009 by The International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University and an international committee of taxonomists.


5. World's Smallest Chameleon (Brookesia Micra).

Brookesia micra is a species of chameleon from the islet of Nosy Hara in Antsiranana, Madagascar. As of 14 February 2012, it is the smallest known chameleon and among the smallest reptiles, small enough to stand on the head of a match. In length, adult Brookesia micra can grow up to 29 millimetres (1.1 in). The males of Brookesia micra reach a maximum snout-vent length of 16 millimetres (0.63 in), and the total body length of both of the sexes is less than 30 millimetres (1.2 in), ranking it among the smallest amniote vertebrates found anywhere in the world.[1] Compared to Brookesia minima, Brookesia micra has a shorter tail and a larger head. Adults of Brookesia micra also have an orange tail, as opposed to an inconspicuous brown one. The size of the lizard may be linked to its habitat, due to insular dwarfism.


4.Worlds Smallest Lizard (Dwarf Gecko).

Sphaerodactylus ariasae, the Jaragua Sphaero or dwarf gecko, is a very small Gekkonidae species in the Sphaerodactylus genus. It is one of the world's two smallest known reptiles (the other is the S. parthenopion, native to the British Virgin Islands). The Jaragua Sphaero measures 16-18 mm from the snout to the base of the tail and can fit on a US 25-cent coin. 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 (Isla Beata). The species was first described by Blair Hedges, a Pennsylvania State University evolutionary biologist, and Richard Thomas, a University of Puerto Rico biologist, in the December 2001 issue of the Caribbean Journal of Science. The Jaragua Sphaero's binomial name was in honor of herpetologist Yvonne Arias, the leader of the Dominican conservation organization Grupo Jaragua, which was instrumental in securing the environmental protection of Jaragua National Park.


3.World's Smallest Jellyfish (Irukandji Jellyfish).

Irukandji jellyfish are tiny and extremely venomous jellyfish that inhabit marine waters of Australia and which are able to fire their stingers into their victim, causing symptoms collectively known as Irukandji syndrome. Its size is roughly no larger than a cubic centimetre (1 cm3). There are two known species of Irukandji: Carukia barnesi and the recently discovered Malo kingi. The symptoms of Irukandji syndrome were first documented by Hugo Flecker in 1952 and named after the Irukandji people whose country stretches along the coastal strip north of Cairns, Queensland. The first of these jellyfish, Carukia barnesi, was identified in 1964 by Jack Barnes; in order to prove it was the cause of Irukandji syndrome, he captured the tiny jelly and allowed it to sting himself, his son, and a life guard. Irukandji jellyfish are very small with a bell about 5 millimetres (0.20 in) to 10 millimetres (0.39 in) wide and four long tentacles, which range in length from just a few centimeters up to 1 metre (3.3 ft) in length. The stingers (nematocysts) are in clumps, appearing as rings of small red dots around the bell and along the tentacles.Very little is known about the life cycle and venom of Irukandji jellyfish. This is partly because they are too small and fragile requiring special handling and containment. Its venom is very powerful, 100 times as potent as that of a cobra and 1,000 times as potent as that of a tarantula. Researchers conjecture that its venom possesses such potency to enable it to quickly stun its prey, which consists of small and fast fish. Judging from statistics, it is believed that the Irukandji syndrome may be produced by several species of jellyfish, but only Carukia barnesi and Malo kingi have so far been proven to cause the condition.


2.World’s Smallest Bird (The Bee Hummingbird).

 The Bee Hummingbird or Zunzuncito (Mellisuga helenae) is a species of hummingbird that is endemic to Cuba and Isla de la Juventud. With a mass of approximately 1.6–1.9 g (0.056–0.067 oz) and a length of 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in), it is the smallest living bird.  As the smallest bird in the world, it is no larger than a big insect and, as its name suggests, is scarcely larger than a bee. Like all hummingbirds, it is a swift, strong flier. It also can hover over one spot like a helicopter. The bee hummingbird beats its wings an estimated 80 times per second — so fast that the wings look like a blur to human eyes. The male has the green pileum and fiery red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper-parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white. The male is smaller than the female. The female is green above, whitish below with white tips to the outer tail feathers. Compared to other small hummingbirds, which often have a slender appearance, the Bee Hummingbird looks rounded and chunky. Male Bee Hummingbird Female bee hummingbirds are bluish green with a pale gray underside. The tips of their tailfeathers have white spots. Breeding males have a reddish to pink head, chin, and throat. The female lays only two eggs at a time.


1. Worlds Smallest Frog (Paedophryne Amauensis).

Paedophryne amauensis it is the world's smallest known vertebrate, attaining an average body size of only 7.7 millimetres (0.30 in),[2] is 0.2 millimetres (0.0079 in) smaller than the previous record-holder as the world's smallest vertebrate, a species of carp (Paedocypris progenetica; 7.9 mm (0.31 in)) from Indonesia. The frog lives on land and its life cycle does not include a tadpole stage. Instead, members of this species hatch as 'hoppers': minatures of the adults. The skeleton in reduced and there is only seven presacral vertebrae present. They are capable of jumping thirty times their body length. The frog is crepuscular and feeds on small invertebrates. Males call for mates with a series of very high-pitched insect-like peeps at a frequency of 8400–9400 Hz.

Courtesy by Youtube/Wikipedia.

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