Fun Paedophryne Amauensis Facts For Kids

How small do you think the smallest vertebrate in our world is? You are lucky as we are here to help you learn about the Paedophryne amauensis. The tiny frog species was discovered by a herpetologist, Christopher Austin, along with his Ph.D. student Eric Rittmeyer in the Amau village of Papua New Guinea in 2009. Austin and Rittmeyer are also the ones who have extensively studied the newly found species, and they noted that the average length of them was 0.30 in (7.7 mm). The species also makes a high-pitched sound that mimics that of the insects. These frogs are the world's smallest vertebrates, and they have dark brown skin, which is speckled with silver spots. They are most likely carnivores, and their main source of food is small invertebrates and insects. Keep on reading to learn more Paedophryne amauensis facts. Also, check out the articles on marine toads and tree frogs to know more about frog species. 
 

What type of animal is a Paedophryne Amauensis?

The Paedophryne amauensis is a type of frog that has been identified as the world's smallest known vertebrate.

What class of animal does a Paedophryne Amauensis belong to?

The Paedophryne amauensis has been placed in the class Amphibia and in the family Microhylidae.

How many Paedophryne Amauensis are there in the world?

The world's smallest frog was only found in 2009, so not much is known about their population. Scientists are yet to delve into finding out more about the population and lifestyle of the tiny frog. However, we can say that the species is quite rare.

Where does a Paedophryne Amauensis live?

The Paedophryne amauensis lives in the tropical forest and it is native to Papua New Guinea, present in the southwestern Pacific.

What is a Paedophryne Amauensis' habitat?

The tiny little frog lives amongst leaf litter on the forest floor. Not much is known about their lifestyle, but the moisture present amongst the leaf helps them to stay hydrated. As they are native to Papua New Guinea, it can be said that the tiny frogs do prefer a warm temperature.

Who do Paedophryne Amauensis live with?

As most frogs are solitary animals, we can assume that the Paedophryne amauensis frog also prefers to live alone except for their breeding time. The forest floor is ideal for them to hide in the leaf litter from any predators that they might have.

How long does a Paedophryne Amauensis live?

Any information about the lifespan of the Paeedophryne amauensis is yet to be known.

How do they reproduce?

Like most other frog species, the Paedophryne amauensis might reproduce through eggs. However, the most interesting thing about these tiny frogs is that they do not have a tadpole stage. They look alike their parents when they are born and are known as hoppers.

What is their conservation status?

The Paedophryne amauensis tiny frog is a fairly new species and they are yet to be put into any conservation lists.

What do Paedophryne Amauensis look like?

*This is only a representational picture of a frog to understand the small size of the Paedophryne Amauensis and it isn't the picture of the actual species. The frog is mainly studied by making paratypes.

Well, on the very first look, the Paedophryne amauensis may look like a chocolate frog because of their dark skin. They are the world's smallest vertebrate, and the frogs can easily fit on a dime. As the smallest known vertebrates, the skeletal size of the frogs is reduced, and they have only seven presacral vertebrae. The dark brown skin of the frog has silver specks which make them strikingly beautiful. Their color helps them to keep hidden in the leaf litter and to camouflage themselves from harmful predators.

How cute are they?

We may not necessarily call them cute, but they are definitely strikingly beautiful and unique.

How do they communicate?

One of the unique things about these frogs is that they can make sounds like insects. Their sounds that resemble insects are quite high pitched and they can go to a frequency of 8400–9400 Hz.

How big is a Paedophryne Amauensis?

The Paedophryne amauensis currently holds the record of being the world's smallest known vertebrate. Its average body length is 0.30 in (7.7 mm). The species of frogs is 0.0079 in or 0.2 mm smaller than the Paedocypris progenetica, a type of carp that formerly held the title of being the smallest known vertebrates.

How fast can a Paedophryne Amauensis run?

Though much is not known about the running capacity of these frogs, it is has been discovered that they can jump at a height that is at least 30 times more than their body length.

How much does a Paedophryne Amauensis weigh?

The weight of the Paedophryne amauensis is not yet known. However, we can guess that it will be really small!

What are their male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the male and female of this species.

What would you call a baby Paedophryne Amauensis?

The baby Paedophryne amauensis is called a hopper and they do not go through the tadpole stage like other frog species.

What do they eat?

The tiny frog is carnivorous in nature and they eat small invertebrates that they hunt amongst the leaf litter. They are known to be crepuscular animals that mainly hunt their prey during twilight hours.

Are they dangerous?

Scientists are yet to disclose if this species is dangerous to humans and other animals.

Would they make a good pet?

Well, they might if you can get hold of one. However, it was only recently discovered by the researchers Christopher Austin and Eric Rittmeyer while they were on a trip in Papua New Guinea. As they are rare frogs and the world's smallest vertebrate species, it is safe to say that having them as your pet would be considered illegal.

Did you know...

Eric Rittmeyer had to try four times before he could catch the frog. Eventually, all they did was gather leaf litter and put it in a bag. When they searched through the bag, the tiny frog was discovered.

The studies were done by Rittmeyer and Austin, and after they discovered the frog they realized that the small frog species have evolved 11 times and independently. Also, they found out that the smaller species of frogs usually live in the tropical forest, which is perfect to keep amphibians hydrated.

The phonetic breakup for the pronunciation of Paedophryne amauensis is ee-doh-FRY-nee AM-OW-en-sis.

Discovery of the Paedophryne Amauensis

The world's smallest vertebrate was found by Christopher Austin, a renowned herpetologist of the Louisiana State University, and his Ph.D. student Eric Rittmeyer on their expedition to Papua New Guinea. The world's smallest frog was found in the Central Province's Amau village, which has also been assigned to them in their binomial name. The Paedophryne amauensis common name is not known as they are a new discovery. The discovery took place in 2009, and it was published in the Plos One journal in 2012.

The life cycle of the Paedophryne Amauensis

Not a lot of things are known about the Paedophyrune amauensis' life cycle. Their length is one of the things that have been highlighted. However, another interesting thing about the frog is that they are born as hoppers rather than as tadpoles. So, they are just miniature forms of their parents when they are born.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other amphibians including pool frogs and caecilians.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one of our frog coloring pages.