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10 of the World's Smallest Animals

Here are 10 of the worlds smallest and cutest animals. From dogs & cats to fishes and seahorses!

 

World’s Smallest Dog: 12.4 cm (4.9-inch) tall

 

At 1.4 pounds and 4.9 inches tall, Ducky, a yappy short-coat Chihuahua from Charlton (Massachusetts, USA), holds the Guinness World Record for the world's smallest living dog (by height). Ducky succeeds Danka Kordak of Slovakia, a Chihuahua who measured 5.4 inches tall. The smallest dog ever, according to Guinness, was a dwarf Yorkshire terrier who stood 2.8 inches tall.


World's Smallest Snake: 10.1 cm (4-inch) long

 

Leptotyphlops carlae is the world's smallest species of snake, with adults averaging just under four inches in length. Found on the Caribbean island of Barbados, the species --which is as thin as a spaghetti noodle and small enough to rest comfortably on a U.S. quarter-- was discovered by Blair Hedges.


World’s Smallest Fish: 7.9 mm (0.3-inch) long

 

On January 2006, the world's smallest fish was discovered on the Indonesian island of Sumatra: a member of the carp family of fish, the Paedocypris progenetica. It is the world's smallest vertebrate or backboned animal; only 7.9 mm (0.3 inches) long.

The title, however, is contested by 6.2 mm (0.2 in) long male anglerfish Photocorynus spiniceps (not technically a fish but a sexual parasite) and the 7 mm (0.27 in) long male stout infantfish Schindleria brevipinguis.


World’s Smallest Horse: 43.18 cm (17-inch) tall

 

The little horse was born to Paul and Kay Goessling, who specialize in breeding miniature horses, but even for the breed Thumbelina is particularly small: she is thought to be a dwarf-version of the breed. At just 60 lb and 17-inch tall, the five-year-old Thumbelina is the world’s smallest horse.


World’s Smallest Cat: 15.5 cm (6.1-inch) high and 49 cm (19.2-inch) long

 

 

Meet Mr. Peebles. He lives in central Illinois, is two years old, weighs about three pounds and is the world's smallest cat! The cat's small stature was verified by the Guinness Book of World Records on 2004.


World's Smallest Hamster: 2.5 cm (0.9-inch) tall

 

Only slightly bigger than a 50p piece, PeeWee is the smallest hamster in the world. Weighing less than an ounce, the golden hamster stopped growing when he was three weeks old - his five brothers and sisters went on to measure between 4in and 5in.


World's Smallest Chameleon: 1.2 cm (0.5-inch) long

 

The Brookesia Minima is the world's smallest species of chameleon. This one is just half an inch. Found on the rainforest floor of Nosy Be Island off the north-west coast of Madagascar, females tend to be larger than males.


World's Smallest Lizard: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long

 

So small it can curl up on a dime or stretch out on a quarter, a typical adult of the species, whose scientific name is Sphaerodactylus ariasae is only about 16 millimeters long, or about three quarters of an inch, from the tip of the snout to the base of the tail. It shares the title of "smallest" with another lizard species named Sphaerodactylus parthenopion, discovered in 1965 in the British Virgin Islands.


World’s Smallest Cattle: 81 cm (31-inch) height

 

The world’s smallest cattle is a rare breed of an Indian zebu called the Vechur cow. The average height of this breed of cattle is 31 to 35 inches (81 to 91 cm). The photo above shows a 16 year old Vechur cattle as compared to a 6 year old HF cross-breed cow.


World's Smallest Seahorse: 16 mm (0.6-inch) long

 

The creature, known as Hippocampus denise, is typically just 16 millimetres long - smaller than most fingernails. Some were found to be just 13 mm long. H. denise lives in the tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean, between 13 and 90 metres beneath the surface.

Thanks to funonthenet

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A large male lion and one of his lionesses relaxing in the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark

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The 7 Loudest Animals in the World

Engineers and evolutionary biologists in Scotland and France recorded the boatman—which is roughly the size of a grain of rice—”singing” in a tank. The aquatic insect’s songs peaked at 105 decibels, roughly equivalent to the volume of a pounding jackhammer within arm’s reach.

The chirps are loud enough that humans can hear the sounds while standing at the edge of a boatman’s pond. Fortunately for nature lovers, though, nearly all the sound is lost when the noises cross from water to air.

Remarkably, the boatman creates his songs by rubbing his penis against his belly, in a process similar to how crickets chirp. Sound-producing genitalia are relatively rare within the animal kingdom, but animals have evolved hundreds of other ways to boost their hoots, howls, and snaps.

Boatman

Did you ever read about loudest animals of the world? Well, we have selected an article from Nat Geo containing a list of world’s loudest animals.

The Howler Monkey

The howler monkey is the loudest land animal. Its calls, which some say are actually more like growls, can be heard up to three miles (five kilometers) away.

The monkey’s volume comes from its enlarged hyoid bone, a U-shaped bone in the howler’s throat that “isn’t actually hooked to any of the [other] bones, so it kind of just hangs there,” said Dell Guglielmo, caretaker for two howler monkeys at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The enlarged bone creates a throat sac in which the monkey’s calls resonate before booming out.

The Howler Monkey

Coqui Frog

Only the males of the common coqui frog sing, but their calls, recorded at peaks of a hundred decibels from three feet (a meter) away, make them the loudest known amphibians.

The nocturnal frog’s two-part “co-qui” call has a two-part meaning: Other male frogs respond to the territorial “co” part of the call, while females are attracted to the “qui.”

In the coqui’s native habitat of Puerto Rico, the frogs are considered part of the island’s natural heritage. But in Hawaii, where the frogs are quickly establishing themselves as an invasive species, residents have spent many sleepless nights due to the noisy frogs, which, in aggregate, are comparable to a lawnmower running all night.

Coqui Frog

The Bblue Whale

The blue whale is the loudest mammal of them all, with vocalizations that reach 188 decibels.

Blue whales don’t have songs as complex as those of humpback whales, but their low-frequency “pulses”— some below the range of human hearing—have been recorded more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) away.

A few years ago researchers found that the whales had been lowering the frequencies of their songs even more—by up to 30 percent since the 1960s in some populations. One theory suggests that the whales no longer need to sing at “high” pitches to be heard at a distance, because the species, while still endangered, has rebounded since whale hunting was banned in 1966.

The Bblue Whale

The Snapping Shrimp

The snapping shrimp doesn’t sing, chirp, wail, or hoot, but it just might be responsible for the loudest noise produced by any living being.

These shrimp stun prey by closing their specialized claws quickly enough to shoot jets of water out at 62 miles (100 kilometers) an hour, forming a low-pressure bubble of vapor behind the jet. When that bubble collapses, it produces a hot, loud mini-explosion of 200 decibels, which stuns or even kills the shrimp’s dinner.

The Snapping Shrimp

The Oilbirds

You wouldn’t want to be around when oilbirds come home to roost—these cave dwellers, the loudest known birds, can be deafening when gathered in large groups.

Oilbirds use echolocation to navigate in completely dark caves. But, unlike the calls of most bats, the birdcalls are within the range of human hearing. Each bird can produce squawks and clicks up to a hundred decibels at close range, and colonies can contain thousands of birds.

The oilbirds appear to use echolocation only within their cave homes and not during their nocturnal foraging. This could be because their sensitivity isn’t very high: In one experiment, oilbirds flew straight into plastic discs that were 4 inches (10 centimeters) wide, but they were able to avoid 8-inch (20-centimeter) disks and larger.

The Oilbirds

The Mole Cricket

The mole cricket species Gryllotalpa vinae is the loudest of the insects. The critter uses its specialized front legs to dig a megaphone-shaped burrow. Standing inside that dugout, a cricket can chirp loudly enough that humans can hear it nearly 2,000 feet (600 meters) away.

Microphones placed three feet (a meter) from a cricket’s burrow entrance have recorded peak sound levels of 92 decibels, or about the volume of a lawn mower.

In fact, using the burrow, G. vinae is able to turn an astonishing 30 percent of its energy into sound.

The Mole Cricket

The 10 Most Bizarre Hotels of the World

1. Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland

It’s hard enough to pronounce “Kakslauttanen” while sober—don’t even think about attempting it after a shot of Finlandia vodka. We do, however, recommend a few glasses of the stuff to keep warm while staying at this Finnish resort near the North Pole.

The futuristic glass igloos guarantee unrestricted views of the aurora borealis from the comfort of your zebra-striped bed; the phenomenon turns the night sky dazzling shades of green, red, and blue from late August to April.

Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland

2. Jumbo Stay, Stockholm, Sweden

In the cockpit-located suite, you can move the controls and push as many buttons as you’d like without ever worrying about crashing.

The 450 seats on this retired Boeing 747 have been replaced by 27 rooms, and instead of fold-down trays, there are café tables for dining.

Jumbo Stay, Stockholm, Sweden

3. Palacio de Sal, Bolivia

If you’re one of those people who believe you can never have too much salt, this is the place for you.

From floor to ceiling, including the walls, beds, and chairs, it’s all salt, all the time.

The 16-room Salt Palace is located on Bolivia’s vast salt flats.

Palacio de Sal, Bolivia

4. Hotel Utter Inn, Sweden

At first glance, this one-room hotel appears to be a cheery red house in the middle of the lake. But don’t be fooled: Your room isn’t actually in the house; it’s 10 feet underwater.

Designed by artist Mikael Genberg, the inn’s one room has two twin beds and a tinted-glass window. It isn’t the most comfortable place to stay, but it certainly will be memorable.

Hotel Utter Inn, Sweden

5. Can Sleep, Lake Skanderborg, Denmark

Beer lovers of the world unite here for a full-immersion experience: drinking by day and sleeping in a giant beer can by night.

Can Sleep, Lake Skanderborg, Denmark

6. Les Roulottes de la Serve, Provence, France

Gypsy (Roma) circus performers once traveled through the French countryside in the three restored caravans that now welcome guests.

Owners Pascal and Pascaline Patin outfitted the caravans (roulottes) with eclectic bohemian and Indian touches: lanterns, garlands, woven carpets, framed images of deities, and plush armchairs.

Les Roulottes de la Serve, Provence, France

7. La Villa Hamster, Nantes, France

Ever wonder what life is like for a hamster? If so, you’re not alone—ever since it opened in 2009, La Villa Hamster has been booked almost every night.

Wrought iron has been affixed to the walls to suggest a cage, and, if they so choose, guests can drink water out of a glass tube attached to the wall. And there’s a large, fully functioning hamster wheel, naturally.

La Villa Hamster, Nantes, France

8. Elephant Safari Park Hotel Lodge, Bali

Guests can hang out in the on-site baby elephant nursery and catch the 29 resident Sumatran elephants performing in four shows per day. They roam the property, and you can admire them while you’re lounging in the pool or dining in the restaurant.

Pachyderm “chauffeurs” show up to transport you to and from your room.

Elephant Safari Park Hotel Lodge, Bali

9. Free Spirit Spheres, Vancouver Island, Canada

This five-acre property in an old-growth forest consists of three pods (made of cedar, spruce, or fiberglass, respectively) suspended 10 to 15 feet in the air and accessed by staircases that wind around the trees.

The teak interiors are surprisingly comfy—each is equipped with a double bed, a microwave, a refrigerator, and even an iPod docking station—but the spheres do sway gently.

Free Spirit Spheres, Vancouver Island, Canada

10. Wigwam Motel, San Bernardino, Calif

This motel on Route 66 feels less like a place one might commune with Native Americans and more like something from the set of a Mad Men-inspired, late-1950s road trip. But whatever authenticity this hotel lacks, it makes up for in serious kitsch.

Wigwam Motel, San Bernardino, Calif

Top 10 Places to Visit in 2011

10. Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish capital city tops many 2010 lists, and we carry it forward to 2011 for its cozy cosmopolitan feel. If that seems an oxymoron, you should note that the Danes equate luxury with comfort. So a sense of hygge (coziness or tranquility) infuses even the swankiest restaurant or expensive antique shop. If you visit, you too can enjoy Copenhagen’s geniality and its museums, dining scene, Scandinavian design and progressiveness.

In many ways, January is the ideal time to plan a trip. It’s a new year after all, and “traveling more” is a great resolution to add to your list. Plus, thoughts of exciting trips might just get you through the rest of the cold, dark winter. So, crack open that calendar: Now is the perfect time to ink it up with 2011 escapes.

9. Stockholm, Sweden

Taking a cue from Stieg Larsson and his astonishingly successful Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy, we submit Stockholm as a top city to visit in 2011. This “Venice of the North” is visually arresting with canal-connected islands and the architecture in Old Town, which was untouched by World War II bombs. Plus, if you travel over the Midsummer Festival in late June, you’ll experience an almost eerie 24 hours of daylight.

8. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Sometimes oldies are goodies, and this is the case with this coastal Brazilian city. Rio de Janeiro is once again in the limelight as the 2014 host of the World Cup and the 2016 host of the Summer Olympics. You should definitely visit in 2011 to avoid the rush, and while here, enjoy the Amazonian cuisine, the Tijuca Rainforest, the Sugarloaf Mountain, the absolutely exhilarating downtown area and, oh yeah, the Ipanema Beach.
 

7. New York City, U.S. 

The only U.S. destination to make our list, New York makes for a fabulous vacation every season and year after year. But 2011 is especially remarkable because it marks the decade anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attack. The National September 11 Memorial is scheduled to open in time for the anniversary. CNN also notes the expansion of the High Line park, which has brought some spunk back to the Chelsea riverfront.

6. Wellington, New Zealand

Lonely Planet, which lists Wellington as one of its top 10 cities to visit in 2011, describes this coastal metropolis as “Cool-with-a-capital-C.” The reason behind this gracious exaltation is its profusion of bars, cafés, restaurants — and just culture in general. In fact, in recent years, the city has earned the nickname “Wellywood” because of its flourishing film industry. You’re sure to recognize Wellington’s stunning scenery in the upcoming movie, The Hobbit, which is currently being filmed here. Visit Wellington for its cultural moxie, but you should also come for its brilliant landscape of hills and harbor.

5. Valencia, Spain

The greatest thing about this oft overlooked city in Spain is its affordability — but that could be changing as its popularity is on the rise, giving you more of an impetus to travel here soon. Newly named the European Capital of Sport for 2011, you should visit Valencia for pastimes like soccer and Formula 1 but also for the savory paella, provincial beaches and interesting attractions like the City of the Arts and Sciences.

4. Sri Lanka

The New York Times lists Sri Lanka as one of its top places to visit in 2010, but if you didn’t get to go, we recommend a trip here in 2011. With miles of clean white shoreline accompanied by clear waters and roaming monkeys and elephants, Sri Lanka makes for a wildlife-infused beach getaway. Plus, you can also enjoy the anonymity and relaxation of the area’s spa retreats.

3. Salta, Argentina

When many think of Argentina, they think Buenos Aires, but we recommend heading north to exotic Salta. You will be delighted to find plenty of cozy local cafés and restaurants, live música folklórica (folk music), intriguing museums, dozens of wineries and red canyons and cliffs. One of the best ways to experience Salta’s breathtaking scenery is to hop on the tren a las nubes (train to the clouds).

2. Melbourne, Australia

Located along Australia’s southern coast in the Victoria province, Melbourne mixes urban sophistication with a mellow beachy vibe. According to Frommer’s, who ranks Melbourne as one of its top 10 destinations of 2010, “Melbourne’s sublime appeal lies in its laid-back attitude, its distinctive cosmopolitan flavor and a rich calendar of events.” This was enough for us to carry this relaxed city down-under over into 2011. Visit Melbourne for its easygoing coffeehouses, fine food and wine, turquoise waters and eclectic neighborhoods.

1. Istanbul, Turkey

One of the EU’s 2010 choices for European Capitals of Culture, Istanbul is a study in contradictions. Straddling the divide between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is a mesh of the Far East and Europe. You should visit for the wonderful incongruity of the ancient and the new — the Hagia Sophia and the Grand Bazaar, the Blue Mosque and the Beyoglu nightclubs, and much, much more.