Nature has given us many amazing and funny creatures, such as bat, turtle and antelope. However, she also created "backup copies" of many animals, only in a reduced, so to speak "archived" form. Prepare the rulers, because we will present you top 10 smallest animals in the world, each of which is a record holder in its own form.
10. Pig-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai)
“Everyone can offend a little one,” - probably, this bat would have thought, having learned what offensive name people gave it. Indeed, this creature did not come out either in nose or in height, the length of its body is 29-33 mm, and its forearms are 22-26 mm. An adult pig-nosed bat weighs about 2 grams.
This species is found only in Thailand and Myanmar and its entire population is about 500 individuals. Flying crumbs live in limestone caves in groups of 100 or more individuals. Unfortunately, tourists often disturb the peace of the bats and endanger them.
9. Etruscan shrew, she is also a baby shrew (Suncus etruscus)
This member of the ranking of the smallest animals in the world is considered the smallest land mammal by mass. The Etruscan shrew weighs about 1.8 grams. And according to unconfirmed reports, a shrew weighing 1.2 grams was found in Sardinia in the 19th century.
The animal got its name for a reason, it has a lot of teeth - 30 pieces. And they are constantly at work, because this baby eats as if it wants to grow into an elephant. She daily consumes an amount of food that exceeds her weight by 2 or more times. And all because of the high metabolic rate. By the way, the heart rate of the Etruscan shrew is also impressive - 1511 beats per minute.
8. Pygmy antelope (Neotragus pygmaeus)
The home of these antelopes is the dense forests of West Africa. They are nocturnal and very shy. And when a dwarf antelope is frightened, it often jumps high (up to 2.5 meters) And this is truly a giant leap, considering that the growth of the antelope is 25-30 cm.
7. Hummingbird bee (Mellisuga helenae)
The smallest bird in the world lives only in Cuba. Weighing about 2 grams and a body length of up to 6 centimeters, this is cute animal can flap its wings more than a hundred times per minute.
The eggs laid by the bee hummingbird are about the size of a pea and are actually the tiniest bird eggs in the world.
6. Narrow-necked Carla (Leptotyphlops carlae)
Found in the Caribbean islands of Barbados, this snake is about as long and thick as pasta. Its average length is about 10 cm. The diet of the narrow-cut Karla consists of ant larvae and termites. She does not use her eyesight, since she lives in earthen holes or under stones. But there are teeth, although they grow only on the lower jaw.
This snake is the smallest of the entire snake kingdom (if only the adult state of individuals is taken into account), and the biggest snake recognized by the Reticulated Python.
5. Frog species Paedophryne amauensis
If other participants in the rating have memorable names, then this miniature representative of the narrow-cut family can only boast of its characteristics. The length of a micro-frog does not exceed 7.7 mm and you will not even notice it in its natural habitat - fallen leaves of tropical forests.
Found in Papua New Guinea, Paedophryne amauensis bears the title of "the smallest vertebrate in the world."
4. Lantern shark (Etmopterus perryi)
Have you ever tried to hold a shark in your hand? Of course with the biggest shark in the world this trick will not work. But the lamp shark, which has a maximum body length of 21.2 cm, can be held in the palm of your hand, like some harmless goldfish.
This species lives off the coast of Colombia and Venezuela in very deep waters (283-439 meters) and is capable of emitting light from its photophores like other deep-sea creatures.
3. Cape speckled flat turtle (Homopus signatus)
So that the smallest turtle in the world does not have to crawl for a long time after its nimble "colleagues" in the top 10, we placed it immediately in third place. This beautiful little baby can grow up to 8-10 cm in length and weigh about 95-165 grams. The Cape turtle is a good pet as it adapts easily to captivity but is difficult to care for.
2. Seahorse Satomi (Hippocampus satomiae)
Imagine how difficult it was to take a photo of one of the smallest animals in the world, because this seahorse prefers to stay awake not during the day, but at night, and is found (if you are very lucky) near the Derawan Island near Kalimantan.
It is not only the smallest, but also the most unusual seahorse with an average body length of 13.8 mm and a height of 11.5 mm.
This little citizen of Aquaman got its name in honor of the head of the diving group Satomi Onishi, who first caught him.
1. Mini cows Vechur
The smallest breed of cattle in the world was bred in the Indian city of Vechur, Kerala. It reaches 87 cm in height and 124 cm in length and is known for producing huge amounts of milk (up to 3 liters per day) without requiring a lot of feed. In addition, it is believed that Vechur's milk is easily digestible and has medicinal properties.