Archive · 30 Jul 2026
10 Tiny Creatures That Are the Smallest on Earth
Scientists have found some animals that are so tiny you can almost see them with a magnifying glass.
The list includes a frog that is only 7.7 millimeters long, a fish that is 7.9 millimeters, and a snake that is 11 centimeters.
There is also a very small bat that is about the size of a penny, and the tiniest bird in the world, the Bee Hummingbird, which is only 5.7 centimeters.
These animals live in places like New Guinea, Indonesia, and Cuba, and they show how diverse and surprising nature can be.
Paedophryne amauensis, the world's smallest vertebrate, is 7.7 mm long and lives in New Guinea rainforests.
Paedocypris, a 7.9 mm fish, inhabits acidic peat swamps in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Slender Blind Snake, 11 cm long, is blind, venom‑free, and tunnels through soil across the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Kitti’s Hog‑Nosed Bat, 30–40 mm, is the smallest bat, found in caves of Thailand and Myanmar.
Bee Hummingbird, 5.7 cm, is the smallest bird, native to Cuba.
- Who
- Various small animal species
- What
- A list of the ten smallest animals on Earth
- Where
- New Guinea, Sumatra, Americas, Africa, Asia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cuba
- Why
- To highlight biodiversity and the extremes of animal size
- Number of animals listed
- 10
- Smallest animal
- Bee Hummingbird (5.7 cm)
- Largest among them
- Slender Blind Snake (11 cm)
- Locations covered
- New Guinea, Sumatra, Americas, Africa, Asia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cuba
- Common trait
- Extremely small size