It’s a small world after all

The smallest vertebrate on Earth – a frog just a quarter of an inch long – has snatched the title from a fish that measures 7.9-10.3mm when fully grown.

The tiny frog has been named Paedophryne amauensis after Amau Village in Papua New Guinea where it was found. Professor Christopher Austin, of Louisiana State University, said: “It was difficult to locate Paedophryne amauensis due to its diminutive size, and the males’ high-pitched insect-like mating call.”