10 of the World's Smallest Animals

Published on 10/30/2008 under Science - 413,353 views
TAGS: Smallest Animals, Smallest Dog, Smallest Cat, Small Animals, Smallest Fish, Smallest Horse, Smallest Lizard

World’s Smallest Dog: 12.4 cm (4.9-inch) tall

At 1.4 pounds and 4.9 inches tall, Ducky, a yappy short-coat Chihuahua from Charlton (Massachusetts, USA), holds the Guinness World Record for the world's smallest living dog (by height). Ducky succeeds Danka Kordak of Slovakia, a Chihuahua who measured 5.4 inches tall. The smallest dog ever, according to Guinness, was a dwarf Yorkshire terrier who stood 2.8 inches tall.

World's Smallest Snake: 10.1 cm (4-inch) long

Leptotyphlops carlae is the world's smallest species of snake, with adults averaging just under four inches in length. Found on the Caribbean island of Barbados, the species --which is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and small enough to rest comfortably on a U.S. quarter-- was discovered by Blair Hedges.

World’s Smallest Fish: 7.9 mm (0.3-inch) long

On January 2006, the world's smallest fish was discovered on the Indonesian island of Sumatra: a member of the carp family of fish, the Paedocypris progenetica. It is the world's smallest vertebrate or backboned animal; only 7.9 mm (0.3 inches) long.

The title, however, is contested by 6.2 mm (0.2 in) long male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps (not technically a fish but a sexual parasite) and the 7 mm (0.27 in) long male stout infantfish Schindleria brevipinguis.

World’s Smallest Horse: 43.18 cm (17-inch) tall

The little horse was born to Paul and Kay Goessling, who specialize in breeding miniature horses, but even for the breed Thumbelina is particularly small: she is thought to be a dwarf-version of the breed. At just 60 lb and 17-inch tall, the five-year-old Thumbelina is the world’s smallest horse.

World’s Smallest Cat: 15.5 cm (6.1-inch) high and 49 cm (19.2-inch) long

Meet Mr. Peebles. He lives in central Illinois, is two years old, weighs about three pounds and is the world's smallest cat! The cat's small stature was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records on 2004.

World's Smallest Hamster: 2.5 cm (0.9-inch) tall

Only slightly bigger than a 50p piece, PeeWee is the smallest hamster in the world. Weighing less than an ounce, the golden hamster stopped growing when he was three weeks old - his five brothers and sisters went on to measure between 4in and 5in.

World's Smallest Chameleon: 1.2 cm (0.5-inch) long

The Brookesia Minima is the world's smallest species of chameleon. This one is just half an inch. Found on the rainforest floor of Nosy Be Island off the north-west coast of Madagascar, females tend to be larger than males.

World's Smallest Lizard: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long

So small it can curl up on a dime or stretch out on a quarter, a typical adult of the species, whose scientific name is Sphaerodactylus ariasae is only about 16 millimeters long, or about three quarters of an inch, from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. It shares the title of "smallest" with another lizard species named Sphaerodactylus parthenopion, discovered in 1965 in the British Virgin Islands.

World’s Smallest Cattle: 81 cm (31-inch) height

The world’s smallest cattle is a rare breed of an Indian zebu called the Vechur cow. The average height of this breed of cattle is 31 to 35 inches (81 to 91 cm). The photo above shows a 16 year old Vechur cattle as compared to a 6 year old HF cross-breed cow.

World's Smallest Seahorse: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long

The creature, known as Hippocampus denise, is typically just 16 millimetres long - smaller than most fingernails. Some were found to be just 13 mm long. H. denise lives in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, between 13 and 90 metres beneath the surface.

Reader Contributions Issue with entry #3 by Robert on 9/4/2009 "The title, however, is contested by 6.2 mm (0.2 in) long male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps (no(...) Have a great addition to the article? Contribute!

Subscribe by RSS: Subscribe by E-mail:	Share this: E-mail it Del.icio.us Facebook Corrections? (Click the above icon, then highlight the text to be corrected --registration required)

If you enjoyed this article, you might also like...
World's Most Incredible Animal Prosthetics

 

 

	10 Geekiest T-Shirts
	10 Far-out Valentine's Gifts
	10 Coolest Computer Mice
	12 Strangest Ties
	10 Coolest Bottle Openers
	10 Most Creative Holders
	10 Coolest USB Flash Drives
	10 Coolest USB Accessories
	12 Funniest Wedding Cake Toppers
	10 Most Creative Ice Cube Trays

	Another 15 Awful Photoshop Mistakes
	15 Sexist Vintage Ads
	15 Most Idiotic Tattoos
	18 Wackiest Tramp Stamps
	10 Manliest Names Ever
	12 Most Unfortunate Product Names
	15 Worst Tan Disasters
	15 Facts You Didn't Know About Your Body
	Another 12 Sexist Vintage Ads
	10 Weird Things you didn't know about Michael Jackson
	12 Funny Roller Coaster Photos
	13 Most Unfortunate Personal Names for their Jobs
	When Ex-Lovers Take Revenge
	10 Geekiest Panties
	Only in the Subway
	12 Accidental Deaths You Won't Believe
	10 of the World's Tallest Women
	12 Bizarre Vending Machines
	10 Dumbest 911 Calls
	15 Geekiest Tattoos
	15 Most Literal Photos Ever
	12 Banned and Controversial TV Commercials
	8 People Who Accidentally Found a Fortune
	15 Most Stupid Forehead Tattoos
	12 Most Bizarre Police Sketches Ever
	10 Unfortunate Neon Signs
	20 Creative and Funny Toilet Signs
	10 Most Famous Doctored Photos
	8 Freakiest Fetishes
	15 Strangest Contact Lenses
	15 Ugliest Products Ever
	Another 10 Hilarious Homeless Signs

Oddee by Category: Art  |  Advertising
Signs  |  Names
Places  |  People
Objects  |  Gifts
Science  |  Medicine
Stories  |  Tech
Misc

Search Oddee.com:

Sites we like:
I-am-bored | 2leep
Entensity | Leenks
Manvite | B2 | Bazooka
Uncoached | Unreality
MLanders | UniqueDaily
CollegeHumor
Flabber | Sublime
Dark Roasted Blend
Neatorama | Uphaa
The Inspiratorium
WebUrbanist | Ecoist
Gajitz | Dornob


Oddee.com makes PC Magazine's Top 100 Web Sites of 2008!

Great articles on other blogs: