📸 PhotoPhoto: Rittmeyer EN, Allison A, Gründler MC, Thompson DK, Austin CC · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons Source
New Guinea Amau Frog
Paedophryne amauensis (New Guinea Amau Frog · New Guinea Amau Frog)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its average body size of 7.7 mm is smaller than the radius (8.6 mm) of a Korean 1-won coin (17.2 mm in diameter) (Comparison).
- 💡 Featured in the 2012 PLoS ONE paper introducing the 'smallest known vertebrate,' this species set a new world record for frog size.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The New Guinea Amau Frog is a miniature frog discovered in a forest near Amau village in Central Province, Papua New Guinea, and was reported as the smallest known vertebrate species.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Fully grown individuals have an average body size of only 7.7 mm, making it the smallest known vertebrate reported.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
In the leaf litter of primary rainforests, it calls at dawn and dusk with a continuous series of high-pitched notes (dominant frequency about 8,400–9,400 Hz). Tiny species in the same genus are thought to prey on minute invertebrates such as mites and springtails.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2020) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/76317540/76317832
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • catalogueoflife.org — 4BY2G
- • iucnredlist.org — 76317832
- • wikidata.org — Q232169
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Paratype of Paedophryne amauensis (LSUMZ 95004).png
- • journals.plos.org — article
- • bok.or.kr — contents.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Vijay Karthick · CC0 1.0 (Related taxon silhouette — Microhyla sholigari)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.