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World's Tiniest Vertebrate Found

Posted by michael on from the crunchy dept.

foidulus writes "The BBC reports that American scientists have identified the world's tiniest fish living around Australia's Great Barrier Reef. It is also the tiniest animal with a backbone. The male of the stout infantfish is only about 7 mm(or less than 1/4 of an inch) long. It has a life span of only around 2 months which scientists say may be an advantage because it can evolve rapidly."

2 of 37 comments (clear)

  1. That's about the right size... by OneDeeTenTee · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...to put in your ear.

    Have they tested the translation capabilities of these little critters?

    --
    Stop the world; I need to get off.
  2. Re:What's that in the picture? by NaturePhotog · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's a picture of the stout infant fish, alright. Check out the Australian Museum Online site for more information and pictures. I believe the picture shown is of a pregnant female, which as other posters have noted is larger than the male at a whopping 8.4mm.

    Also, the length is likely the standard length, which is to say, it doesn't include the fleshy bit of the tail, but only up to the end of the spine.

    One noteable difference from the dwarf goby fish is that stout infant fish apparently lack pigmentation except in the eyes. The dwarf goby is a nice shade of orange.