Incredible facts

People tend to pay attention to large objects that immediately attract our attention.

On the contrary, small things may go unnoticed, although this does not make them any less important.

Some of them we can see with the naked eye, others only with the help of a microscope, and there are those that can only be imagined theoretically.

Here's a collection of the world's smallest things, ranging from tiny toys, miniature animals and people to a hypothetical subatomic particle.

The smallest pistol in the world

The smallest revolver in the world SwissMiniGun it looks no bigger than a door key. However, looks can be deceiving, and the pistol, which is only 5.5 cm long and weighs just under 20 grams, can shoot at a speed of 122 m per second. This is enough to kill at close range.

The smallest bodybuilder in the world

According to the Guinness Book of Records Aditya "Romeo" Dev(Aditya “Romeo” Dev) from India was the smallest bodybuilder in the world. At just 84 cm tall and weighing 9 kg, he could lift 1.5 kg dumbbells and spent a lot of time improving his body. Unfortunately, he died in September 2012 due to a ruptured brain aneurysm.

The smallest lizard in the world

Kharaguan sphero ( Sphaerodactylus ariasae) is the smallest reptile in the world. Its length is only 16-18 mm and its weight is 0.2 grams. He lives in national park Jaragua in the Dominican Republic.

The smallest car in the world

At 59 kg, the Peel 50 is the smallest production car in the world. About 50 of these cars were produced in the early 1960s, and now only a few models remain. The car has two wheels in front and one in the back, and reaches a speed of 16 km per hour.

The smallest horse in the world

The smallest horse in the world named Einstein born in 2010 in Barnstead, New Hampshire, UK. At birth, she weighed less than a newborn baby (2.7 kg). Her height was 35 cm. Einstein does not suffer from dwarfism, but belongs to the Pinto horse breed.

Smallest country in the world

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world. This is a small state with an area of ​​only 0.44 square meters. km and a population of 836 people who are not permanent residents. The tiny country surrounds St. Peter's Basilica, the spiritual center of Roman Catholics. The Vatican itself is surrounded by Rome and Italy.

The smallest school in the world

Kalou School in Iran has been recognized by UNESCO as the smallest school in the world. In the village where the school is located, only 7 families live, with four children: two boys and two girls, who attend the school.

The smallest teapot in the world

The smallest teapot in the world was created by a famous ceramicist Wu Ruishen(Wu Ruishen) and it weighs only 1.4 grams.

The smallest mobile phone in the world

Modu phone is considered the smallest mobile phone in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records. With a thickness of 76 millimeters, it weighs only 39 grams. Its dimensions are 72 mm x 37 mm x 7.8 mm. Despite its tiny size, you can make calls, send SMS messages, play MP3s and take photos.

The smallest prison in the world

Sark Prison in the Channel Islands was built in 1856 and accommodates one cell for two prisoners.

The smallest monkey in the world

Pygmy marmosets, which live in tropical wet forests South America, are considered the tiniest monkeys in the world. An adult monkey weighs 110-140 grams and reaches a length of 15 cm. Although they have fairly sharp teeth and claws, they are relatively docile and popular as exotic pets.

The smallest post office in the world

The smallest postal service, WSPS (World's Smallest Postal Service) in San Francisco, USA, translates your letters into miniature form, so the recipient will have to read it with a magnifying glass.

The smallest frog in the world

frog species Paedophryne amauensis at 7.7 millimeters long, it is found only in Papua New Guinea, and is the tiniest frog and smallest vertebrate in the world.

The smallest house in the world

The smallest house in the world of an American company Tumbleweed by architect Jay Shafer is smaller than some people's toilets. Although this house is only 9 square meters. meters looks tiny, it holds everything you need: workplace, bedroom, bathroom with shower and toilet.

The smallest dog in the world

In terms of height, the smallest dog in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records is the dog Boo Boo– Chihuahua height 10.16 cm and weight 900 grams. She lives in Kentucky, USA.

In addition, it claims to be the smallest dog in the world. Maisie- a terrier from Poland with a height of only 7 cm and a length of 12 cm.

The smallest park in the world

Mill Ends Park in the city of Portland, Oregon, USA - this is the smallest park in the world with a diameter of only 60 cm. In a small circle located at the intersection of roads there is a butterfly pool, a small Ferris wheel and miniature statues.

The smallest fish in the world

Fish species Paedocypris progenetica from the carp family, found in peat bogs, grows to only 7.9 millimeters in length.

The smallest man in the world

72 year old Nepalese man Chandra Bahadur Dangi(Chandra Bahadur Dangi) with a height of 54.6 cm was recognized as the shortest person and man in the world.

The smallest woman in the world

The shortest woman in the world is Yoti Amge(Jyoti Amge) from India. On her 18th birthday, the girl, with a height of 62.8 cm, became the smallest woman in the world.

Smallest police station

This small phone booth in Carabella, Florida, USA is considered the smallest working police station.

The smallest baby in the world

In 2004 Rumaisa Rahman(Rumaisa Rahman) became the smallest newborn child. She was born at 25 weeks and weighed only 244 grams and was 24 cm tall. Her twin sister Hiba weighed almost twice as much - 566 grams and was 30 cm tall. Their mother suffered from severe pre-eclampsia, which can lead to giving birth to smaller children.

The smallest sculptures in the world

British sculptor Ullard Wigan(Willard Wigan), who suffered from dyslexia, did not excel academically and found solace in creating miniature works of art that are invisible to the naked eye. His sculptures are placed in the eye of a needle, reaching dimensions of 0.05 mm. His recent works, which are called nothing less than “the eighth wonder of the world,” do not exceed the size of a human blood cell.

The smallest teddy bear in the world

Mini Pooh Bear created by a German sculptor Bettina Kaminski(Bettina Kaminski) became the tiniest hand-sewn teddy bear with movable legs measuring just 5 mm.

The smallest bacterium

The smallest virus

Although there is still debate among scientists about what is considered “living” and what is not, most biologists do not classify viruses as living organisms because they cannot reproduce and are not capable of exchange outside the cell. However, a virus can be smaller than any living organism, including bacteria. The smallest single-stranded DNA virus is porcine cirocovirus ( Porcine circovirus). The diameter of its shell is only 17 nanometers.

The smallest objects visible to the naked eye

The smallest object visible to the naked eye is 1 millimeter in size. This means that, under the right conditions, you can see a common amoeba, a slipper ciliate, and even a human egg.

The smallest particle in the Universe

Over the last century, science has made huge strides towards understanding the vastness of the Universe and its microscopic building materials. However, when it comes to the smallest observable particle in the Universe, some difficulties arise.

At one time, the smallest particle was considered to be an atom. Then scientists discovered the proton, neutron and electron. Now we know that by smashing particles together (as in the Large Hadron Collider), they can be broken down into even more particles, such as quarks, leptons and even antimatter. The problem is only in determining what is less.

But at the quantum level, size becomes irrelevant, since the laws of physics to which we are accustomed do not apply. So some particles have no mass, some have negative mass. The solution to this question is the same as dividing by zero, that is, it is impossible.

The smallest hypothetical object in the Universe

Considering what was said above that the concept of size is inapplicable at the quantum level, we can turn to the well-known string theory in physics.

Although this is a rather controversial theory, it suggests that subatomic particles consist of vibrating strings, which interact to create things like mass and energy. And although such strings do not have physical parameters, the human tendency to justify everything leads us to the conclusion that these are the smallest objects in the Universe.

Have you ever seen the tiniest animals that live on our planet? Many of them are so small that, at first glance, they seem like toys.

And the most interesting thing is that they were discovered relatively recently. This makes us think about the likelihood of the existence of other similar creatures that are still unknown to science.

1. Chihuahua

The smallest Chihuahua in the world is called Millie. Her height is 10 centimeters. It looks like a woman's high-heeled shoe.

2. Tiny rabbit

The smallest and rarest species. On average, its dimensions range from 23 to 28 cm, and its weight is 450 grams.

3. Marmoset monkey

Among primates, the marmoset is the smallest. The habitat of this species is South America. Outwardly it resembles a squirrel. The marmoset is so small that it fits easily in the palm of your hand.

4. Chameleon Brookesia Micra

This chameleon lives in Madagascar. The size of his body is akin to a matchstick, or half a finger.

5. Tiny Pony

Thumbelina. This is the name of the record-breaking horse. The small brown pony is only 45 cm tall.

6. Lizard

Lives in the Dominican Republic. The size of the lizard allows it to easily sit on a coin of 10 American cents. They grow no more than 15 mm in length.

7. Cat

The tiniest cat ever was found in Taylorville, Illinois. The male blue Himalayan-Persian breed named Tinker grew to just 7cm.

8. Dwarf lantern shark

The tiny predator can be found not often, at a depth of 440 m in the waters of South America. Believe it or not, the size of this shark allows you to take it in your palm.

9. Etruscan Shrew

It has the smallest body mass of any mammal. As a rule, it weighs a couple of grams, and its height is no more than four centimeters. Although it weighs little, the amount of food it absorbs exceeds its own body weight by 2 times.

10. Royal antelope

The forests of Ghana and Sierra Leone are considered its homeland. It grows no more than 25 cm in height and weighs no more than 2.5 kg. She doesn't really like light and comes out mostly at night, so seeing her is very rare.

11. Pig-nosed bat

On average, the height of a bat is 30 mm, and its weight is no more than 2 grams, so its size will not scare anyone, but will rather please it.

12. Seahorse

It was discovered in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. Initially, scientists thought it was a cub seahorse, but then they realized that the animal with a diameter of 16 millimeters was a fully mature individual.

13. Spotted turtle

The size of a female spotted turtle is no more than four centimeters, the size of a male is 3 cm larger. Turtles were discovered in South America.

14. Cow Manikam

Manikam, of course, does not fit in the palm of your hand, but among all cows it is the tiniest. Its height is only 61.5 cm and it is used exclusively in the household.

15. Frog from the genus Paedophryne

About the size of a 10-cent coin, this frog is considered the smallest vertebrate in the world.

16. Dwarf mouse lemur

The homeland of these lemurs is Madagascar. The lemur weighs only 55 grams. Its tiny body is 5 cm, but its tail is 2 times longer.

17. Salamander

Mexico is considered the homeland of this animal. His thin body and wide head measure only 17 millimeters. Unfortunately, this species is endangered due to deforestation.

18. Samoan moss spider

Spiders have various shapes and sizes. But this species is the smallest in the world. It reaches only three millimeters in length.

19. Californian porpoise

Illegal fishing has made this pig species endangered. Cetaceans on average do not exceed a meter. It recently became known that there are only 30 individuals left in the wild.

20. Tiny snake

The home of this snake is the island of Barbados. Measurements showed that its length is only 10 cm, and its body looks like spaghetti. Part of the tiny snake's habitat has been devastated by construction work.

21. Fish Paedocypris progenetica

This is the tiniest vertebrate fish in the world. It is about 8 millimeters in length and easily fits on your finger. In addition, it is notable for the fact that it can live even in an acidic environment.

22. Hummingbird Bee

The bee hummingbird is native to Cuba. The bird weighs only 28 grams, and its eggs are the size of coffee beans. Because of its size, hummingbirds fight for survival not with other birds, but with insects.

23. Smooth-fronted dwarf caiman

The caiman lives in South American waters, trying to feed itself. Although his height of one meter does not seem terrifying, he is still dangerous.

24. Long-tailed planigal

Planigal looks like a mouse. Planigal is the smallest marsupial in the world. It has a body of about 5 centimeters and a tail of about the same size. Its home is the North Australian grasslands.

25. Three-toed jerboa

The three-toed jerboa looks like a small ball with eyes and large legs. It weighs about a gram and is no more than four centimeters long.

These are so funny, cute and interesting, and sometimes scary creatures live on the planet. Their tiny size seems to tell us how fragile nature is and how carefully we need to treat our smaller brothers.

On Earth you can find many animals that surprise every person with their size, external features and behavior. Besides the water giants, large mammals And ferocious predators Tiny representatives of fauna also live in nature. Today we will highlight the TOP smallest animals in the world.

As statistics say, many have never heard of many miniature creatures, but when they meet them, they take their breath away. Making a rating, we will pay attention to the inhabitants of reservoirs, forests and steppes, as well as the class of amphibians. Oddly enough, unique individuals with incredibly small sizes are found in almost all classes of animals. Let's highlight the representatives:

• organic world generally;
• amphibians;
• reptiles;
• mammals;
• birds;

The smallest animal in the organic world

If we take into account the little-studied organic world of living nature, then mycoplasma will be its tiniest representative. Although it is essentially impossible to call this creature an animal. This is just one of the varieties of living matter of the organic world, which is the simplest microscopic single-celled organism. Having studied the structure of such matter, scientists determined that her cell was missing a nucleus. It's hard to imagine how small mycoplasma is.

According to microbiologists, the size of such an organism rarely exceeds 0.8 microns and ranges from 0.3-0.8 microns. But despite this, the creature can significantly harm the human body, becoming the causative agent of diseases of the genitourinary, circulatory and immune systems.

The smallest amphibian

Few people know about the existence of the tiny frog Paedophryne, whose length is 7.7 mm. The largest individuals rarely reach 11.3 millimeters in length and, as a rule, they are females. The miniature animal is brown in color, so it is almost impossible to notice in wildlife, and especially on the grass, tree bark or foliage. Due to its tiny size, the frog received presacral vertebrae and a reduced number of fingers.

The frog was first discovered by American biologists during an expedition in New Guinea. The creation is several times smaller than the 100-cent coin of the United States of America, so it can easily fit on such a coin. The amphibian is considered the tiniest animal belonging to the vertebrate subphylum.

The smallest representative A suborder of lizards on Earth is the chameleon Brookesia minor. Its dimensions are 1-2 millimeters. The chameleon is found in the forests of Madagascar, although it is extremely difficult to find it among the foliage. It is known that such an animal is distinguished by the unique ability to change the color of its skin according to the colors of the environment.

Also on the list of the smallest reptiles is the Namaqualand tortoise, or as it is called the “Cape speckled turtle”. If the largest turtles reach 200 kilograms in weight, then these individuals rarely weigh more than 160 kilograms. The average body weight of an adult varies between 95-165 kilograms with a body length of 6-10 centimeters. Females are always larger than males.

During the mating period, male representatives become aggressive, not only towards other same-sex individuals, but also towards females. Because of this, they often fight each other, biting and stabbing with the leading edge of their shell.

The female goes to the winner, and after mating she immediately lays tiny eggs in a dug hole. After four months, a newborn is born weighing less than 5-8 grams. By the way, in terms of weight, it is less than a quail egg, which reaches 10-12 g.

The miniature tortoise can be found in South African regions, usually in dry forests and scrub savannas. Currently, reptiles are listed in the Red Book as an almost extinct species. Until recently, tribes, inhabiting the Republic of South Africa, used these animals for medicinal purposes.

The smallest fish in the world

When compiling a ranking of the smallest animals in the world, one cannot ignore the group of fish. According to the latest current information, there are two representatives of the group in the Guinness Book of Records. The first, called Paedocypris progenetica, belongs to the carp family and is found in the peat bogs of Indonesia. The second (Photocorybus spiniceps) - in tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans at depths of 1000 meters, where it is practically absent sunlight. An adult reaches 7.9-10.3 millimeters.

Males are distinguished by unique spots between the eyes and on the top of the head. It is important to note that until the 21st century, scientists did not study the fauna of peat bogs, citing the high acidity of the water, which prevents the formation of any life forms. However, in 2006 they managed to make an incredible discovery in the form of a tiny fish from the carp family. Such a surprise from nature has become a real phenomenon underwater world. The body length of females reaches 5-7 centimeters, and males - 6-9 millimeters.

The smallest mammals

The list of the smallest mammals includes unique animals that may seem like miniature copies of their larger counterparts or characters from a science-fiction film about other worlds. Due to their amazing size, these animals freely climb plants, thin tree branches and catch insects in the smallest recesses. Often their sizes are comparable to the size of a bumblebee.

So, let's highlight the tiniest mammals that are found in the world.

Dwarf couscous

And although the dwarf couscous is more reminiscent of tiny chinchillas, it belongs to the family of marsupials and is compared to a kangaroo. The length of an adult couscous varies between 5-10 centimeters and weighs 10-45 grams.

Like other relatives, these tiny creatures are accustomed to leading night look life. Using a flexible tail, they calmly hang upside down from tree branches. The main range is Australia, Papua New Guinea and the islands of Indonesia. With the arrival of winter cold, the animal forms a tight ball, and, closing its eyes with its ears, goes into hibernation. Due to a decrease in metabolism, there is no need for nutrition. For wintering there are enough collected during the warm season. nutrients, which are found in the sebaceous deposits of the tail.

American shrew mole

The length of this mammal reaches 6 centimeters, while the tail grows up to 2.5 cm. The tiny fluffy one is found in the forests of the northwestern part of the United States and Canada, in places with high humidity.

The animal has a long snout with a flat end and sharp claws, characteristic of other moles, which allow it to quickly dig deep tunnels underground. In contrast to their relatives who lead an underground lifestyle, these miniature moles often come to the surface of the earth in search of food. They often hunt insects by climbing bushes and plants.

Etruscan shrew mouse

The weight of an adult Etruscan shrew mouse is 2 grams. The body length is 3.5 centimeters, with the tail reaching 1/3 of the body length.

The mouse stands out for its impressive appetite, because... she is able to eat a lot of food, about twice her weight. And this is every day. Also, the baby is characterized by an increased heart rate, approximately 25 heart beats per second or 1500 beats per minute. For example, the human heart beats 72-80 beats per minute.

Most often, the Etruscan mouse is found in the humid fields of Southern Europe, in North Africa and in the Middle East.

The smallest birds

Among the smallest birds The following types can be distinguished in the world:

• The Cuban Bee Bird is a hummingbird. It is considered the smallest bird in the whole world and the smallest warm-blooded animal. The length of an adult male from beak to tail hardly reaches 5 centimeters. Females are slightly larger, although when compared to butterflies or beetles, they still seem like real tiny creatures. The size of the bird is a little larger size bees, due to which the hummingbird began to be called “bird-bee”. Distinctive Features The hummingbird is characterized by the incredible speed of flapping its wings, which reaches 80 times per second, the bright color of its shiny feathers and its sharp beak - a tool for extracting flower nectar.
• Kings. Found in forests Russian Federation and are considered the smallest songbirds in the world. They can only live in the wild, so any attempts to keep them in a cage lead to the death of the chicks. The bird needs constant search food in the form of larvae, small insects and their eggs. You cannot feed the kinglet anything, because... his diet should be balanced. The body length of the king reaches nine centimeters, and its weight is 5-6 grams.
• Wrens are another species of the world's smallest birds, reaching 10.7 centimeters in length. These birds differ from the above-mentioned kinglets only in body weight. These babies feed on spiders and other small insects. They live in Russia.

01/8/2017 at 22:48 · Pavlofox · 10 500

The smallest animals in the world

All animals living on earth are unique and inimitable in their own way. Living creatures in the world are able to amaze a person not only with their unusual appearance, but also with their size. For example, smallest animals in the world can surprise not only with their miniature size, unusual shapes and some abilities, but also its toxicity. Next in the rating are 10 of the most incredible animals that, in addition to their size, have something else to surprise people with.

10.

Reveals the ten smallest animals that exist on Earth. This unusual and cute animal belongs to the genus of foxes. The size of a miniature animal does not exceed 40 cm in length and 20 cm at the withers. Fenech weighs on average 1 kilogram. An amusing predator that feeds on carrion, insects, and bird eggs, has incredibly large ears that allow them to catch the slightest rustle around. In addition, fennec cats are excellent jumpers: they can jump to a height of more than half a meter. Such features of the animal make it an unsurpassed predator, from which it is difficult to hide and escape. Fennecs live most often in the Sahara. Due to their small size and beautiful appearance, they are now increasingly being kept as pets, but such a pet will be quite expensive.

9.

Not only one of the smallest, but also the most unusual animals in the world. Occupant North America from the mole family, it has growths on its head that resemble the shape of a star. This is where the name of the animal comes from. On average, the size of starfish is 1 decimeter in length and weighs less than 100 grams. These representatives of the mole family, like their closest relatives, live underground. Also star-nosed excellent swimmers which prefer to hunt at the bottom of reservoirs, but can also obtain food on the surface of the earth. These unusual animals are characterized by monogamy: the female and male continue to live together even after the mating season.

8.

The smallest representative of the order of primates, whose length does not exceed 15 centimeters and body weight - 150 grams. These funny animals can be found in Brazil, Peru, and Colombia along the river coastlines. They rarely come down to the ground, because they prefer to spend all their time in the trees, where they get their food. Pygmy marmosets choose tree sap and fruits as food, but can also feed on spiders and insects. The life span of these animals is on average 10 years. The pygmy marmoset is perfect a pet with highly developed intelligence.

7.

The smallest chameleon lizard in the world, its body length is less than 5 centimeters. The protective function of the lizard is its color, which resembles the color of dead, fallen leaves, so most often they can be found in foliage. These chameleons feed mainly on insects and their larvae, which are found in the soil.

6.

The smallest fish in the world, which was discovered by scientists relatively recently. The animal is endemic and lives in the swamps of Sumatra. The length of an adult is just under 1 centimeter, which allows this animal to be included in the list of the smallest.

5.

The smallest member of the shrew family and the smallest mammal in the world. This unusual and miniature animal can be found in Southern Europe, North Africa, China and Japan. Presumably, earlier dwarf shrews also lived on the territory of Kazakhstan, since their remains were discovered during excavations. The body length of this animal ranges from 3-5 centimeters, and the average body weight is only 1.5 grams. Dwarf shrews choose thickets near water bodies, as well as mountain gorges, as their habitat. Also, this amazing animal can be found on plots of land cultivated by humans - gardens and vegetable gardens. They are able to dig holes on their own, but often occupy the homes of moles. Despite their tiny size, they are born predators who boldly attack not only insects, but also animals larger than their size - frogs, lizards, young rodents, etc.

4.

The smallest bird existing in nature. The smallest representatives of this species have body sizes that do not exceed 5 centimeters in length, and their body weight averages 1.5 grams, which less weight medium ostrich feather. These winged animals are not only very small, but also incredibly beautiful. From a distance, this bird can easily be confused with an insect painted in bright, iridescent colors. The Bee Hummingbird is an endemic species that lives in Cuba. The animal got its name not only because of its small size, but also because of its food preferences - it feeds exclusively on flower nectar. Moreover, she only does this on the fly, performing up to 100 wing flaps in just 1 second!

3.

Not only very small, but also the most dangerous and poisonous animal in the world, living in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Dimensions Pacific inhabitant without tentacles does not exceed 2.5 centimeters. However, its thread-like and almost completely transparent tentacles can reach 1 meter. They contain a large number of highly toxic poison that can be fatal to humans. The bite of an irukandji leads to paralytic effects, which manifest themselves in the form of muscle and headaches, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and pulmonary edema.

2.

It is one of the smallest animals in the world, its body length is only 10 centimeters and its body weight does not exceed 50 grams. This animal chose the western forests of Madagascar as its habitat. The mouse lemur is omnivorous: its diet can include insects, spiders and small animals, as well as flower nectar, fruits and leaves. In the wild, these animals lead a solitary lifestyle, less often living in pairs. Dwarf mouse lemur Usually active only during the rainy season, in dry weather it goes into torpor and feeds from accumulated reserves. These “freedom lovers” are not entirely suitable for keeping in captivity, as they become quite aggressive at home.

1.

(Hippocampus Denise) is the smallest marine inhabitant of the waters, whose body length is no more than 1.5 centimeters. This species lives seahorses in the warm tropical waters of the Japanese islands. The aquatic inhabitant received its name in honor of the photographer Denich Tackett, who was the first to discover and photograph this seahorse.

Readers' Choice:

What else to see:

Our planet is inhabited by numerous animals living on land, in water, in the air and underground. Their world is rich and diverse and each of the creatures occupies its own specific niche. All of them are different from each other and differ not only in their lifestyle, but also in their incredible size. And if large creatures are always in sight, then small ones are not so easy to meet, although there are quite a lot of them.

Researchers from many countries travel around the world in search of new species of miniature creatures, but finding them is not so easy, so quite often scientists fail. But when they manage to discover a new creature hitherto unknown to anyone, their joy has no end. Behind Lately Researchers have discovered many new species of baby animals.

Microfrogs Paedophryne

The smallest land animal. Microfrogs (lat. Paedophryne) - this small frog belongs to the family of narrow-mouthed frogs, or microfrogs.

It is considered the smallest in the world, its length does not exceed 7.7 mm, but sometimes it grows up to 11.3 mm. This little one was recently discovered, it was found in Papua New Guinea. The females of these amphibians are slightly larger than the males. Thanks to its brown color, this frog is invisible neither on the ground, nor among the foliage, nor on tree trunks.

The smallest aquatic animal. Fish Paedocypris progenetica- recognized as the smallest inhabitant of water bodies. It can be found in sewage streams and peat swamps in Indonesia.

The largest are females, but they are also small - 10.3 mm in length. The smallest officially recorded length of this fish is 7.9 mm. Interestingly, these little ones belong to one of the large carp families!

Chameleon Brookesia minor

The smallest lizard in the world. Chameleon Brookesia minor (lat. Brookesia minima) – inhabitant tropical forests Madagascar and the smallest lizard.

Due to its tiny size (1.2 cm) and the ability to change color (in fact, like all chameleons), it is not easy to notice in natural conditions. It was discovered in 2007 near the island of Madagascar, and this chameleon was described only in 2012.

Denis's seahorse

Marine (lat. Hippocampus denise) – another little one and a master of disguise. Lives in warm waters western Pacific Ocean at a depth of about 16-90 m.

One can only wonder how such a tiny creature, whose length does not exceed 1 cm, manages to survive in a cruel world sea ​​creatures. But it turns out that it is possible to survive: it perfectly camouflages itself as gorgonians or the corals in which they live, painting its body orange or yellow.

Dwarf gecko

Dwarf gecko (lat. Sphaerodactylus ariasae) - a small creature, the size of which does not exceed 1.6-1.8 cm, easily fits on the nail thumb hands. This little thing weighs nothing - 0.2 grams.

flickr/Hispanioland

It is worth noting that this gecko was discovered in 2001, but despite this it is already in danger of complete extinction. It is probably worth thanking those researchers who timely calculated its number, in view of which the dwarf gecko was immediately listed in the Red Book.

Irukandji jellyfish

Irukandji jellyfish (lat. Carukia barnesi) is an unusually poisonous and very small creature that lives in Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Australia. Externally, this jellyfish resembles a white translucent bell. Its dimensions are only 12x25 mm, and the tentacles are from 1 mm to 1 m long.

But it was not only its size that attracted the attention of researchers. This little thing can not only paralyze a person, but even kill him. There is no antidote yet, since this species has not yet been studied enough and, therefore, its poison too.

hummingbird bee

The smallest bird. Hummingbird-bee (lat. Mellisuga helenae) - the smallest among birds.

It was discovered in 1844 in Cuba by Juan Cristobal. Its weight is only 1.6-2 g, and its body length is 5-7 cm. It feeds, like all hummingbirds, on the nectar of flowers. Interestingly, the heart of this miniature bird beats at a frequency of 300-500 beats per minute.

Pygmy shrew

The smallest mammal. Pygmy shrew, or Etruscan shrew (lat. Suncus etruscus) - inhabitant of southern Europe, southern Asia and northern Africa.

Many scientists believe that for an animal to exist normally, it must weigh at least 2.5 g, but this little one, whose weight is only 1.5 g and whose body length is 3-4.5 cm, lives and thrives well. But to do this, she has to eat all the time, and therefore she hardly sleeps. Heart rate is 1300 beats per minute.

Hog-nosed bat

Pig Nose bat, or bumblebee mouse (lat. Craseonycteris thonglongyai) - lives in western Thailand and southeastern Burma.

Its weight is only 2 g, and its body length is no more than 4 cm. According to the latest data, their number is several hundred individuals, therefore it is a vulnerable species listed in the Red Book. In flight it resembles a hummingbird.

The snake is the shortest snake found in the Caribbean.

Blair Hedges, Pennsylvania State University

This baby grows to only 100-104 mm in length, it can easily be confused with. Likes to hide under stones and also in the soil. It feeds on termites, ant eggs and other small insects. Not poisonous.

In order to survive, many creatures during evolution have to take the most bizarre forms and unusual sizes. The most striking proof that nature has prepared many surprises for us are the miniature animals of our planet.