Two new species of the smallest frogs have been recently found… so we’d better not loose them! Discovered in the mountains of Papua New Guinea are the Paedophryne dekot and the Paedophryne verrucosa, and they’re smaller than the average penny.
How did the scientists find the insect-size frogs? They had to put their faces very close to the ground and listen carefully for the sounds that the frogs made so they could catch them.
After this discovery, researchers are still convinced that even smaller frogs exist in areas of the world that humans haven’t traveled to yet.
The name Paedophryne dekot means very small, and Paedophryne verrucosa means full of warts and bumpy skin. If it were up to us, we’d have gone with the ironic names like “Mount Humungo” or “Captian Large-a-lot”, just to play on their tiny size. But Paedophryne dekot rolls off the tongue just as easily, we suppose.
Because they’re so small, the females of both species can only have two eggs, making it difficult for these guys to reproduce. So if you see one and it scares you, don’t hurt it! They may come in ‘short’ supply! (See what we did there?)