Ultra-tiny frogs discovered living like faeries inside pitcher plants

Thanks to the OP for posting this. Teeny, weeny frogs. I love it.

They're so cute!

One can only imagine what other amazing creatures nature still has out there just waiting to be discovered.

That is too cool!

Some scientists speculate that the size of animals and plants on the earth has actually overall decreased because the oxygen levels have gone down. Not due to human interaction but before there used to be mega forests and jungles all over the earth that pumped out massive amounts of oxygen.

But those frogs are the bomb, how cool is that?

And I agree with Now_Then, admire, but leave them to their natural habitat and not bring them home as a micro pet.

I'm having some trouble differentiating the frog's call from the audio link, there are quite a few noises mixed together in it. I think I hear a couple different croaks actually. Is it the high pitched background noise?

reply to post by King Loki


I live in northwest Indiana and I always see tiny frogs like that. They are just as little. They are all over my mother in laws back yard. My son loves playing with them. I think the ones by us are just itty bitty tree frogs.

reply to post by Oozii


Great find thanks friend!!! S+F

Thanks for posting this! Those frogs are really amazing and have my son fascinated. He actually -asked- if we could do a science unit on them!=)

Also thanks to the OP of the blue frog, they are amazing, too!
~prep

I'm not convinced. I think this is a disinformation campaign.

Are we sure that this is the world's smallest frog? Or the world's largest No. 2 pencil?

What a wonderful find! Adorable!!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!

this only poses even more speculation on life on places we believe are barren, like outer space
life, as is the rule here, in planet earth, IS everywhere, in one way or another, life has no boundaries, it has all eternity to play, it can build designs that are beyond all comprehension, stuff from dreams! stuff OF dreams...

Great post OP!

I can add something to this......

The pitcher plant shown as their home is Nepenthes ampullaria. Interestingly, this species is not primarily a carnivorous plant. It has evolved to be a "detritivore". It is evolved to collect old leaves and bits of organic matter and digests that, rather than insects. There will be various mosquito larvae ond things livinmg in its water, but no ready source of insects visiting the pitchers like in other species. It also differs from other species in the fact that it produce copious rosettes of pitchers on the ground (Nepenthes are normally primarily climbing vines). I guess this made for easy access for the frogs, compared to ther species. The lack of visiting large insects is probably safer for the tiny frogs.

Originally posted by platipus
pitcher plant would be the last place id think anything would be living in.

It is a awesome natural defence.

fascinating. ive always been obsessed with frogs since i was a young lad.

i love vertebrates, especially glowing yellow/lime green ones!!

S&F, these are truely amazing creatures that we should definitely preserve and treat with utmost respect. thank you for sharing this with me.

Originally posted by crazydaisy
reply to post by Silicis n Volvo

 

OMG something positive on ATS - sorry it threw you for a loop!

apology accepted

second line

so, I guess they arent that much edible

wow how cute
they need to be protected! don't let them anywhere near the french!

now those are some small frogs...I guess you would need a lot more of these frog legs to get full if you were eating them huh...nice thread its amazing these things are so small...

reply to post by platipus


Perhaps they are living in symbiosis with the pitcher plant - eating what it doesn't digest? Just wondering.

I wonder if these are good when deep fried! Nice and crunchy, with a side of salad made of the pitcher plant. 2 in 1.

These frogs are incredible! And cute

I'd love to have one as a pet but that wouldn't be right. They have been doing just fine so we shouldn't mess with them.

These are adorable. Tiny animals always make me wonder about Noah's Ark and how he could have gotten all those tiny little animals on there. How would you know when to shut the door??