Fun Monte Iberia Eleuth Facts For Kids

The Monte Iberia Eleuth, or Eleutherodactylus iberia, is the smallest frog in the northern hemisphere. It is tied for the smallest tetrapod in the world with another frog named Brachycephalus didactylus, a Brazilian brachycephalic. Currently, the Monte Iberia Eleuth is the only Eleutherodactylus species that has such a small size.

This is a miniature species of frog in the world belonging to the family of Eleutherodactylidae or the direct-developing frogs. This is an endemic species of frog found in the eastern parts of Cuba. Monte Iberia Eleuth mainly inhabits areas of the tropical rainforest from sea level to an altitude of about 1,960 ft (597.4 m). In order to survive, the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere needs an environment that has a lot of humidity.

The Monte Iberia Eleuth is a Critically Endangered species. Habitat loss from deforestation, pollution, and mining has drastically reduced the population.

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What type of animal is a Monte Iberia Eleuth?

Monte Iberia Eleuth is the smallest frog living in the Northern Hemisphere from Cuba.

What class of animal does a Monte Iberia Eleuth belong to?

A Monte Iberia Eleuth belongs to the Amphibian class.

How many Monte Iberia Eleuth are there in the world?

The exact Monte Iberia Eleuth population is not known. However, because the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere prefers living in a specific region of the world, researchers believe that they have a low population.  According to the IUCN Red List, this species is Critically Endangered. Since they are small in size and reproduce at a much slower rate than other frog species, they have fewer eggs. Currently, there are not a lot of conservation efforts made to protect the Monte Iberia Eleuth population.

Where does a Monte Iberia Eleuth live?

The Monte Iberia Dwarf Eleuth from Cuba prefers living in a tropical rainforest of the world. Most live in eastern Cuba. In order to be near humid areas, they live in areas that are as low as the sea level.

The reason why the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere is named Monte Iberia Eleuth is that it can be found in Mount Iberia tableland. This is where this smallest species was discovered.

What is Monte Iberia Eleuth's habitat?

The habitat of a Monte Iberia Eleuth is a rainforest, a lush, wet, and warm habitat with soil. Trees of the rainforest are usually very tall as they have to compete against other plants to get sunlight. Kapok trees that are commonly found in tropical rainforests all over the world can grow as high as 200 ft (60.96 m). Rainforest's high humidity level is perfect for a Monte Iberia Eleuth. However, the deforestation of rainforests has affected this species world population a lot. Predators include fish, toads, and birds.

Who does Monte Iberia Eleuth live with?

Monte Iberia Eleuth likes to live with their own kind. Most of them will be about 1968.5 ft (600 m) away from one another. However, until they procreate, the smallest frog in the Mount Iberia Northern Hemisphere prefers living separately from other frogs. They are most active at night.

How long does a Monte Iberia Eleuth live?

Monte Iberia Eleuth of Mount Iberia lives for one to three years.

How do they reproduce?

We don't know a lot about this smallest species' reproduction. What we do know is that even though the female species releases eggs so that the Monte Iberia can hatch, they are not like other amphibians. Unlike other frogs, they don’t start their life as tadpoles.  

Also, clutch size is small which means that they are laying few eggs at a time. The number of eggs can be as low as one egg. During incubation, female and male frogs take care of the eggs. Even after they are fully grown, they don’t live for very long. The smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere's lifespan is less than three years.

What is their conservation status?

The Monte Iberia Eleuth is a Critically Endangered species. Habitat loss from deforestation, pollution, and mining has drastically reduced the population.

What does Monte Iberia Eleuths look like?

The Monte Iberia Eleuth is very small. They are only 0.375 in (9.5 mm) which makes them one of the smallest frogs in the world from Cuba. Even though they have a difficult name to pronounce, their black body and head size make it easy to identify them. They have yellow on their back in the form of a set of parallel stripes that goes down on both legs. They have a purple belly. With thin fingers and a wide head, they have a striking body. Monte Iberia Eleuth has only a few teeth.

The yellow markings found on their bodies are warning predators. The reason for bold colors on animals is for signifying that they have toxins. These toxins are capable of paralyzing the predator's muscles and protect the frogs from being eaten.

How cute are they?

They aren't cute.

How do they communicate?

The Monte Iberia Eleuth uses high-pitched noises for communicating.

How big is a Monte Iberia Eleuth?

A Monte Iberia Eleuth from Cuba can reach about 0.375 in (9.5 mm) in length, the size of a fingertip.

How fast can a Monte Iberia Eleuth swim?

The top speed of an Eleutherodactylus Iberia is 5 mph (8 kph).

How much does a Monte Iberia Eleuth weigh?

The Cuba frogs weigh between 0.05-0.07 oz (1.5-2g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females are called Monte Iberia Eleuth.

What would you call a baby Monte Iberia Eleuth?

They are called Monte Iberia Eleuth even at younger years.

What do they eat?

Eleutherodactylus Iberia eats the same diet of insects that other frog species eat which includes invertebrates like moths, spiders, and other animals from the same genus. For getting the protein that keeps their energy up, they might also go after ants, mites, bigger spiders.

Are they poisonous?

Yes, they release poisonous chemicals, pumiliotoxins, to avoid danger.

Would they make a good pet?

The smallest frog's poisonous nature won’t make them a good pet in homes.

Did you know...

Miguel Vences, a German evolutionary biologist, and herpetologist was the one who discovered the poisonous nature of Monte Iberia Eleuth or Eleutherodactylus Iberia. He was dissecting a frog that was the same size as his fingernail when he found that there was an unusual acrid smell coming out of it. This was due to the powerful toxins in their skins. These frogs have a bitter smell.

Along with its thieving antics and toxic skin, the Monte Iberia Eleuth from Cuba shares several other characteristics with frogs that use similar poisons. It is a brightly colored frog that has yellow-white stripes and chocolate brown skin. It is incredibly tiny and found to be active during the day. Since it is less than 0.4 in (1 cm) long, it can easily sit on a small coin and fingernail. Vences, who discovered the frog, believes that it is no coincidence that so many frogs share these characteristics. Their small size helps them to specialize in tiny prey like mites and ants. Their special diet has provided them with the ability to store poisons from their meals to be used as a defense. This, in turn, has led to the evolution of bright colors found on them that advertises their potent defenses and gives them the luxury to operate in daylight.

How is Monte Iberia Eleuth different from other frogs?

There is not much known about this species of frog which is the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere. However, there are some differences observed that make them different from other frog species. When it comes to their reproduction process, the female releases the eggs so that they can be hatched. But, the similarities end there. The dwarf frogs don’t start their life as tadpoles like other amphibians. They are born small frogs.

Researchers have surmised that the female Monte Iberia Eleuth is able to lay fewer eggs. Because the dwarf frog doesn't lay a lot of eggs at one time, they have a very small population. The reduced clutch size has been one of the reasons why this species of frog is critically endangered. Another difference between the Monte Iberia Eleuth and other frog species is that during the incubation period of the former, both female and male frogs take care of the eggs until they are hatched.

How does Monte Iberia Eleuth avoid danger?

Because of the small size of the dwarf frog, the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere, there is not a lot of research available on them. They get around their habitat with little monitoring or interference. However, there are a few behaviors that have been observed including their diurnal nature. They avoid danger as best as they can. If there is any noise, as small as the rustling of leaves, they jump away and try to avoid the danger. Until they are ready to mate, they keep a solitary lifestyle while being awake at night. They prefer to live in areas that have minimal soil drainage so that they can hide beneath ferns, leaves, and other plant life. If they face a potential threat, the dwarf frog can also jump away with relative ease.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other amphibians from our Surinam toad facts and poison dart frog facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Monte iberia eleuth coloring pages.