The smallest mammals that live on our planet probably seem defenseless and touching. But due to their tiny size, they have another feature, in addition to their touching appearance. Surprisingly, such tiny sizes to their owners only work on hand. In this article, we will find out what is the smallest mammal on Earth.
Small mammals
The advantages of their size relate to any aspect of life of representatives of tiny mammals: they have an advantage in that they can crawl to the very tips of thin branches, while hunting for insects; and also when the crumbs find the smallest holes, where they easily hide from predators hunting them.
So what is the smallest mammal on the planet? We are talking about those whose size is not larger than a large bumblebee! Consider the five most tiny representatives of this animal world in the article further.
Shrew American mole
This animal, with its weight of 10 grams (like 2 coins in denominations of 5 cents), has a length of a little more than six centimeters, while its tail sticks out another 2.5 centimeters. But this is not the smallest mammal on Earth. The shrew lives in forests in the northwestern United States, as well as in the southeastern part of British Columbia.
Like other moles of larger sizes, the animal has a fairly long proboscis, which ends with a flattened tip, as well as claws as sharp as knives, which allows him to dig holes with his small paws in search of food.
Dwarf couscous
This is the largest among the smallest animals in this five midgets. This funny creature looks more like a chinchilla known to all, dwarf couscous is a member of the marsupial family. Consequently, he is a relative of a koala, a kangaroo, the famous Tasmanian marsupial devil, as well as a wombat, a herbivorous funny animal that resembles more of a little bear cub.
The dimensions of this animal range from 5 to 10 centimeters with a maximum weight of 45 grams. The remaining smallest mammals on Earth, which we will talk about today, have more modest proportions. At the same time, dwarf couscous is much smaller than all its other relatives.
Like its larger counterparts, the animal leads mainly a nocturnal lifestyle. It also uses its own tail to hang upside down, firmly clinging to a convenient branch. Mostly dwarf couscous live in Papua New Guinea, Australia and Indonesia. In the winter season, he curls up in a glomerulus, covers his eyes with his ears and falls into complete stupor (plunges into hibernation). So he regulates the metabolism and temperature of his little body, fleeing from the cold.
Three-fingered jerboa
Continuing to find out what is the smallest mammal on Earth, it is necessary to say about the three-toed half-jerbo. This is just an unimaginable creature, striking with its touching appearance, in addition, its amazing energy, indefatigable for this little body. The three-fingered half-jerboa has been an Internet star in recent years. Various videos regularly appear there demonstrating such funny mammals. It weighs only 3 grams with an average body length of 5 centimeters! In this creature, the tail length is many times the body length and reaches 25 cm.
The birthplace of the animal is Pakistan and Afghanistan, although in China and Central Asia you can find 25 species of such a tiny animal. An interesting fact: the long-eared jerboa - one of his relatives - is so loved and popular in Afghanistan that in 1989 the government of this country issued a postage stamp with the image of this rodent.
Pig Bat
This is truly the smallest mammal on Earth! The bat weighs as much as 2 grams with an average size of 3 cm (i.e. about an inch). And we are talking about large individuals! This baby was discovered in 1974 by Kitty Thonglongya, a Thai zoologist, and gave her this name because of the pink little proboscis, which actually resembles a little piglet pig.
This is the smallest mammal on Earth lives in caves, as befits all bats. But at the same time, the animal prefers to settle in more often forests on limestone hills, which are located in the southeastern part of Myanmar and in some areas of western Thailand. Due to the constant invasions of tourists and deforestation in the habitats of the animal, the existence of this bat was threatened. Today it is listed in the Red Book as an animal that is threatened with extinction.
