World’s Smallest Frog Discovered In Papua New Guinea

Researchers searching the forest of Paua New Guinea have discovered a new species of frog that is said to be the smallest frog in the world. According to the discovering party the Paedophryne amauensis measures just 0.27 inches long and is considered the world’s smallest vertebrate.

According to the researchers the only smaller creature with a backbone is the male species of anglerfish however they spend most of their lives fused to much larger females from the species.

To protect itself from potential predators the Paedophryne amauensis hides among leaf litter on the forest floor where it eats “incredible small insects.”

A Louisiana State University teacher tells the BBC that finding the tiny vertebrate was no easy task.

“It was night, these things are incredibly small; so what we did after several frustrating attempts was to grab a whole handful of leaf litter and throw it inside a clear plastic bag,” he says. “When we did so, we saw these incredibly tiny frogs hopping around.”

The small frog is smaller then a dime by more than half and was discovered near the Amau River.

I’m curious to know exactly what type of really small insects the Paedophryne amauensis could possibly eat.