Mar 18, 2025, 07:06 AM IST
Here are eight tiny tyne creatures known as the smallest mammals of the earth.
At only 1.3g, the extinct B. vanhouteni is believed to be the smallest mammal that ever lived. This tiny, shrew-like animal roamed North America 53 million years ago.
Also known as the white-toothed pygmy shrew or Suncus etruscus, the Etruscan shrew is the smallest mammal by weight alive today. At 36–52mm long, excluding tail, it's larger than Kitti's hog-nosed bat. However, individuals can weigh as little as 1.5g, meaning the Etruscan shrew takes the crown.
By body size, Kitti's hog-nosed bat is the smallest mammal on Earth, at 29-33mm long. It also has the smallest skull of any mammal. It's not quite the smallest by body weight, though, with the smallest individuals weighing around 1.7g.
The African pygmy mouse, Mus minutoides, holds the joint title for the world's smallest rodent with the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa.
According to the Guinness Book of Records in 1999, the Baluchistan pygmy jerboa is joint with the African pygmy mouse for the title of the world's smallest rodent. Salpingotulus michaelis, or the dwarf three-toed jerboa, has a body around 4.4cm long, and a tail of 8cm. On average, adult females weigh 3.75g.
Planigale ingramiis the last planigale on this list, and is the world's smallest marsupial. Its head and body are only 55-65mm long.
Planigaletenuirostris, though it measures only up to 7.5cm, is a vicious predator. It takes down insects and small lizards, occasionally even ones bigger than itself.
Also known as the tiny pygmy possum or Cercartetus lepidus, this species is the world's smallest possum. The head and body are on average 70mm long, and the prehensile tail averages 64mm.