Frogs are incredible creatures, and some species of frog grow to enormous size. However, many species are also unbelievably small. These micro-frogs are almost all new to science. Their tiny size makes them almost impossible to find in the wild, and most of them have natural camouflage colors in their skin. In this article we’ll introduce 16 of the smallest frogs in the world and even take a look at pictures of a few of them.
Most of these tiny frogs tend to live in remote areas, and their calls sound like insects. All of these things combined mean that most of the world’s smallest frogs have only been discovered within the last 30 years, and we still know almost nothing about them.
Many of them don’t even have a common name, just a latin one. With all that being said, let’s have a look at some of the tiniest frogs out there!
16 smallest frogs in the world
1. Paedophryne kathismaphlox
Size: 11 mm
Like many of the frogs on this list, this species is so small, so new, and so poorly understood that a common name hasn’t been assigned to it. It’s found in remote jungles on the island of New Guinea where it’s mottled dark brown skin helps it blend seamlessly into the leaf litter on the forest floor.
At just under 11mm long, Paedophryne kathismaphlox is the 10th smallest species of frog in the world. Its tiny size and impeccable camouflage make it almost impossible to spot in the wild.
2. Stumpffia yanniki
Size: 10.6 mm
The 9th smallest frog in the world at 10.6mm maximum length, this minuscule species was first described in 2010. It’s native to north-eastern Madagascar. It’s so hard to find that there’s only one picture of a live frog in the wild. The frog in the picture has a noticeable purple tinge to its skin, which is otherwise a mottled grayish brown color.
Almost nothing is known about this species- it’s call, it’s diet, it’s mating habits, and it’s full natural range are all mysteries.
3. Gardiner’s frog
Scientific name: Sechellophryne gardineri
Size: 11 mm
Gardiner’s frog is one of the few species here to be given a common name. This critically endangered species is native to the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, which makes it one of the only land animals native to these remote islands.
Females can reach 11mm in length, while males top out at 8mm. It’s a terrestrial species that feeds on very small invertebrates such as mites and insect larvae. Its skin is green and rough.
4. Monte Iberia Dwarf Frog
via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 2.5
Scientific name: Eleutherodactylus iberia
Size: 10 mm
Living only in a tiny section of the rainforest in eastern Cuba, this is the smallest frog in the Northern Hemisphere. Adults reach about 10mm in length and have deep black skin with pale yellow stripes. They’re so rare and hard to find that the species was unknown prior to 1993. Even today, not much is known about them, and they’re considered critically endangered.
5. Paedophryne verrucosa
Size: 9.3 mm
A small, stocky little frog from New Guinea, this species is so small it was at one time considered the smallest of all vertebrates. Its name is a reference to the warty skin, which is more common among toads than frogs.
Very little is known about these frogs, as they live only on one slope of a mountain in the remote reaches of the jungles of New Guinea, and were only discovered in 2002. It reaches 9.3mm in length.
6. Paedophryne dekot
via Wikimedia Commons | CC BY 3.0
Size: 9 mm
Closely related to the verrucosa frogs, this species, too, was discovered in 2002. It’s very similar in appearance to the greenish brown, warty verrucosa frogs, but slightly smaller at just 9mm in length. Very little else is known about this species.
7. Stumpffia contumelia
Size: 8.9 mm
This small frog from Madagascar measures just 8.9mm on average. It has a reddish brown back and darker undersides. It was first discovered in 2010 in the forests near the northern tip of Madagascar. It’s known from only a handful of specimens.
8. Paedophryne swiftorum
Size: 8.6 mm
At just 8.6mm long, this is the second smallest frog in the world. Discovered in 2008 in Papua New Guinea, it has a dark brown back with rusty brown mottling. It lives in the leaf litter on the forest floor, where it’s virtually impossible to spot because of it’s coloring and it’s small size.
9. Paedophryne amauensis
Size: 7.7 mm
Here it is: at 7.7 mm long, this is the world’s smallest frog (that we know of). Discovered in 2009 in New Guinea, these tiny frogs hide among the leaf litter on the forest floor. In addition to their size and mottled brown color, their calls, which sound like insect calls, also make them hard to locate.
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10. Radcliffe’s night frog
Scientific Name: Nyctibatrachus radcliffei
Size: 38 mm
At 38mm, this species is an absolute giant compared to the rest of the frogs on this list. Astonishingly, that still makes it one of the smallest frogs in the world. It’s just slightly bigger than a dime. It was discovered in the Western Ghat mountains of India, which have been found to be swarming with tiny frogs.
11. Athirappilly night frog
Scientific Name: Nyctibatrachus athirappillyensis
Size: unknown
Discovered near a waterfall, this reclusive species is about the size of a dime. It’s so new to science that almost nothing is known of its behavior or habitat. It’s got mottled brown skin, and it’s eyes are situated close to the top of it’s head. This would allow it to float just under the surface of the water and still see above the water, but it’s unclear if this habit is common.
12. Kadalar night frog
Scientific name: Nyctibatrachus webilla
Size: unknown
Hiding amongst the leaf litter of the Western Ghats, this tiny frog, about the same size as an Indian 5 Rupee coin, was discovered in 2017. It’s camouflage skin and small size made it hard to find, but on top of that, it’s calls sound like insect calls, not frog calls. Very little is known about the life and habits of this species.
13. Sabarimala night frog
Scientific name: Nyctibatrachus sabarimalai
Size: 12.3 mm
The only known specimens of this minuscule species were discovered near the Sabarimala temple. At just 12.3mm long, it’s certainly one of the smallest frogs in the world. It has a mottled brown and tan back with a lighter, white-speckled underside.
14. Vijayan’s night frog
Scientific name: Nyctibatrachus pulivijayani
Size: 13.6 mm
At 13.6mm long, this frog can fit on your fingernail. As with the other night frogs of the Western Ghats, this species has mottled brown and tan skin that helps it blend in to the leaf litter on the forest floor with ease.
15. Manalar night frog
Scientific name: Nyctibatrachus manalari
Size: 13.1 mm
A tiny, dark brown frog just 13.1mm long, this species was discovered in sections of the forest adjacent to tea plantations. Because they’re so new to science and so difficult to study, it’s unknown if they chose to live near the tea plantation for some reason, or if the plantations were encroaching on their natural habitat.
16. Robin Moore’s night frog
Scientific name: Nyctibatrachus robinmoorei
Size: 12.2 mm
Measuring just 12.2mm long, Robin Moore’s night frog is the smallest of the 7 night frogs discovered in the Western Ghats. Like the others, almost nothing is known of its behavior and it’s quite difficult to study in the wild.
